A Long Game of Hide and Seek
by RosyRain
Summary: The plan was simple. Pass the Hunter Exam, get my license, hunt down a certain asshole, beat up said asshole, and drag that asshole around to the ends of the world to go looking for something I wasn't really sure I wanted to find. (OC based story)
1. Chapter 1

_This is actually my first HxH fanfic and I am hating myself for having the nerve to post this. It's been a while since I last wrote something and the last thing I want to do is do this wonderful anime/manga disgrace._

_Hopefully, you guys enjoy this and the moment you feel this is turning into a Mary-Sue, TELL ME IMMEDIATELY._

_Aside from that, I'm really just writing for the fun of it. Reviews are greatly appreciate, but not required._

* * *

There was always a limit as to what one person could endure. There was a limit to the amount of torture he could endure. There was a limit to the amount of laughter he could endure. There was a limit to the amount of grief he could endure. And most recently, I discovered there was also a limit to the amount of ocean one could endure. Who knew that being on a small ship for eight long days would quite literally make me seasick?

Well I didn't.

Truth be told, I wasn't the type to get seasick, the motion sickness one at least. Even if this whole thing became a steroid-enhanced rollercoaster ride at sea, my brain wouldn't end up like it had gone through a blender and my meal would still be safely inside my stomach. Sure, I'd lose my balance and poise, but I had gravity to blame for that. The point was that I, Demina, did not get seasick. Well, not in the normal sense that is.

For the past eight days, there was nothing but water and in those past eight days, I had come to know the various faces of the ever-changing element. First it was calm, the kind of water you'd like to soak your feet with. Then, it would become annoying, like when you just finished an awesome castle and a small, innocent wave would destroy all of your hard work. From there, it could become calm again, or take a turn for the worse, ranging from the kind of water that keeps pulling you under to the kind of water that just wants to plain ole blatantly kill you.

Whichever kind of water it was, I was sick of it. Sick, sick, sick, sick of it. Absolutely sick of it. On and on the ocean went and I was very much fed up with the sight.

A sailor announced that we would be departing soon and I couldn't help but open my eyes to at least get a glimpse of land and remember what it actually looked like. An amused huff escaped my lips. Whale Island. Whoever named the place either had a great sense of humor, or a complete lack of imagination. True to its name, it was indeed, shaped like a whale.

"I'm going to become the best Hunter in the world!"

I raised an eyebrow at the young boy's ambitious words. Best Hunter huh? How cute.

"Once I'm the best Hunter in the world, I'll come back!"

Again, I huffed. Looked like this kid wouldn't get to see his home ever again. Too bad. He was kinda cute too, in a weird brotherly way. Low chuckles began to echo on deck and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Here we go again.

"Best Hunter in the world?" a man with a large scar running across his face taunted. "Kid doesn't respect us."

Another gruff looking man picked up from there. "Every year, there are millions of skilled applicants for the Hunter Exam. But only a hand few are selected. Don't say stuff you can't back up boy." Another round of laughter rumbled amongst the rougher, tougher looking men as the poor, innocent boy stared at them.

I shook my head, my sister instincts kicking in. These people never learned. They treated me pretty much the same a week ago and they ended up regretting it.

"Oi, oi, oi," I muttered, having had enough of their bullying. I uncrossed my legs and jumped off of the railing going along the portside of the ship, landing daintily on the wooden floorboards. "Are you brutes at it again? You wouldn't want a repeat of last week now do you?" I asked as I rolled my shoulders. A smile tugged at my lips when I watched a few men shake their heads and turn away, but I kept a frown on. "At least the kid's got an honest dream. What are you people here for?" They grunted and turned away. "Yeah, I thought so. Hey kid, what's your name?"

The young boy beamed at me and did not hesitate in replying. "I'm Gon!"

I found myself smiling back. How could you not smile back at that boy? "Demina." I held out a hand and he gave it a good shake. "Pleasure to meet you. It's easier if you just ignore them. It worked for me and it should work for you." The boy in green nodded and I took a good look at him. "Aren't you a little too young to take the Exam?" I asked. It unnerved me to see such a young kid have to face something even most grown men couldn't overcome.

Gon shook his head. "My dad took the Hunter Exam when he was twelve too," he proudly answered, the shine in his eyes causing me to smile softly. There was something to Gon that made him so endearing. Despite literally meeting the kid a few minutes ago, I knew that if there was ever a boy no one could hate, then it would be him.

Laughing, I couldn't resist patting his head. He was just too cute. "Your dad must be very proud."

To my surprise, Gon had to think about my words before shrugging. "I wouldn't know. He left me with Mito-san when I was a baby."

"Mito-san?" I echoed. "Who's Mito-san?"

"My aunt."

Before I could even ask why he was staying with his aunt, we heard a loud crash and went to investigate. Apparently, the sailor named Katsuo had dropped a crate of green apples with some of its fruits spilling all over the deck. Flustered, the skinny man began to pick up the fallen fruits while his fellow sailors began to taunt him.

I frowned at their behavior. Eight days on the ship and I knew for a fact that Katsuo was among the best people of the crew. Well, not really the best _best_, but he was nice. Actually, most of my meals onboard were spent with him, both of us talking nonsense and laughing. The captain soon arrived though, an old bearded man who always carried a bottle of alcohol with him, and scolded them for dilly-dallying.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Gon go down the stairs and pick up an apple Katsuo had missed. The boy promptly returned it to the sailor and waved goodbye. The small gesture caused me to smile. What a nice kid that boy was.

"Oi Gon!" The boy turned to look up. "Wanna be buddies?" I laughed.

A wide smile that mirrored mine spread across his face. "Sure!" Suddenly, a frown appeared on his face, his wide amber eyes shifting to the sky. I followed suit and noticed the odd, erratic patterns the seagulls were making. I was no expert on seagulls, but if they were moving crazily like that, then something was most definitely up. The looming dark clouds were also a nice hint though.

"A storm…" I grumbled to myself, realizing that all of us would have to take shelter below deck.

A fairly large, crowded room with one door on a ship at sea in the midst of a violent storm? Nope. Not happening. No way. Na-ah.

So why then did I find myself sitting in one corner of the said room, breathing like a serial killer had been chasing me?

Ah, right. Because I didn't want to die in a storm right now.

Annoying as it was, rooms were something I had never been fond of. Never did like the idea of four, unmovable walls closed around me, especially when it was dark. Sure, the lights were on, but still. I didn't like being cooped up. I felt… trapped.

And a twelve year old boy who I had just met was standing right in front me and watching me hyperventilate.

"Demina, are you alright?" Shakily, I nodded and forced a smile. Right, like that would convince him. "You don't look so good. Are you seasick?" I shook my head, wishing for once that I was. If I was, then all I needed was to take a pill or fall asleep or something.

"Just… Give me a minute," I murmured in between breaths.

"She has claustrophobia," a strangely familiar voice stated, causing me to turn and find a blonde on a hammock busying himself with a book.

I frowned. "I do not!" My frown grew deeper when I realized who it was. Blondie. I knew he had told me his name a few days ago, but right now, I wasn't really too keen on remembering that conversation. Besides, I was fairly sure we weren't on good terms because of something that was more than likely _not_ my fault.

"For the past three days I've been on this ship, you've never gone below deck and always chose to stay outside unless necessary," he evenly pointed out, peering over his book to look at me. I grabbed the nearest thing I could find, which had been an apple from one of the crates, and threw it towards him. A frustrated groan escaped my lips when I saw him catch the fruit and take a bite out of it. "Thanks for the food," he mumbled through his full mouth.

"Why you-" I would have said smartass stalker, but Gon cut me off by asking a question and I couldn't really ignore him without feeling guilty. I was starting to hate this sister instinct I had.

"Isn't claustrophobia being afraid of small spaces?" he asked, to which I answered with a nod.

"It's the irrational fear of being closed in or having no escape," I clarified, having read its definition several times throughout my known childhood. "But I don't have it."

"Keep telling yourself that kid," another man chuckled. This time, I found it to be the man in a suit. I had a short chat with him yesterday when I got a headache and he gave me some pills. He was nice and all, but I always found him too engrossed with the magazine he had with him. And it wasn't the kind of magazine you would leave on your coffee table back at home for everyone to see.

Ah, engrossed. What a smart person word. Maybe all that free time had done me some good after all.

"Shut it…" My frown deepened. "What was your name again?"

Sweet revenge was what I got when I saw the older applicant's face.

"It's Leorio. Le-o-ri-o," he said before grabbing an apple of his own from the crate. "Remember it."

"Whatever you say, Leonardo," I sang tauntingly, waving a hand in the air.

"You feel better now Demina?" Gon asked, a smile appearing on his face. I nodded. Really, all I needed was a bit of time to get used to rooms. Some just took more time than others. "You seem to know a lot of people on this ship."

I shrugged. "I've been onboard for eight days. Can't help bumping into the same people." At that point, a man groaned in pain and Gon couldn't ignore it as easily as I could. Excusing himself, Gon ran off to help the poor man. I sighed.

Where was this little angel of goodness when _I_ was sick of the sea?

Several minutes passed before the sea regained some semblance of calmness. Though it was still trying to swallow us alive, the waters were being more discreet about it. The intent was still there though, no doubt about it.

The captain, oh bless his soul, finally opened the door and peeked into the room. He had a noticeable scowl on his face and when I took a good look around, he had every reason to scowl. Most, if not all the applicants were unconscious or on the verge of. What a joke. And to think they were going on about being skilled and shit earlier.

"You four, come with me," he grunted before disappearing into the hallway.

Four? Another good look around and I slumped. I was stuck with Blondie and what's-his-name. Gon, I guessed, was my saving grace.

Up in the helm, I couldn't help but feel relieved at the sight of large windows. Sure, there was a raging storm outside, but that wasn't the point. The point was there was something more in this room other than four, wooden walls.

The captain asked us our names and reasons for taking the Hunter Exam. Gon was as enthusiastic as ever and I finally recalled Blondie's real name, Kurapika. I had to introduce myself too, despite the three of them being already familiar with me. For the second question, however, Kurapika and Leorio were more than reluctant to answer. Actually, Leorio was spouting nonsense on how the captain wasn't an Examiner and all that jazz.

Nevertheless, Gon answered the captain's question and I managed to find out exactly why he was here on this boat. He wanted to find out why his father liked being a Hunter so much, as simple as that.

"I'm here as a favor for a friend's mom," I casually said, turning away from the old man. "Asshole took the Hunter Exam a few years ago and never came back." Huffing, I kicked the floor with the heel of my boot. "His mom's never been the same, so I'm here to find and drag the sucker back home."

The captain accepted my answer with a nod and a small smile on his lips, finding some humor to the blatant way I talked.

Leorio and Kurapika both refused to answer his question. Leorio was being stubborn while Kurapika was trying to keep up his mysterious guy act. Mentally, I shook my head. These people were playing it safe, but Hunters were risk-takers. Leorio and Kurapika were practically asking to drop out from this Exam and the expressions on their faces were priceless when the captain _did _fail them.

You'd think I would laugh out loud and rub it in, but I was content with a smug look on my face and a triumphant huff.

Karma really was a bitch.

Kurapika yielded and explained why he was on this ship. Imagine the surprise I felt when he revealed that he was from the Kurta Clan, _the _Kurta Clan. Maybe I didn't look smart with the denim shorts, the orange sleeveless sweater, the old worn boots, and the fingerless gloves I wore, but I really had some kind of brain behind this face and when he said Kurta, there was no other Kurta Clan that I knew of except the one that was wiped out for their Scarlet Eyes by the Phantom Troupe.

A chill ran down my spine at the thought of the Phantom Troupe. I was twelve when the massacre happened and I had never seen so much blood on television before then.

So I guessed all that quiet time I was given had some use after all and all of a sudden I didn't feel so smug any more. I wiped away the stupid expression on my face and kept quiet.

The lone survivor huh? Must have been hard to live like that, alone and knowing who and what made you that way. How could it have felt?

"I don't need your pity," I heard him hiss and he caused me to look up.

Quickly, my compassion for him disappeared and a scowl was on my face. "Well, I'm _so _sorry for being sympathetic," I hissed back with equal disdain. Honestly, I wasn't even going to be all melodramatic and stuff. Pretentious smartass stalker.

"So you want to become a bounty hunter?" the captain surmised. "The Phantom Troupe is an A-Class Bounty. Not even the most grizzled Hunters can touch them. You'd be throwing away your life."

A huff left my lips. Well that was one fact I couldn't really deny. If he was serious about hunting them down, he'd have to be really, really good.

"I do not fear death." My eyes grew wide at Blondie's statement. "I fear only that my rage will fade over time." My breath hitched. And I thought I was insane.

Leorio simply laughed at the blonde and wondered why Kurapika even needed a License to exact revenge.

Did this man really know what a Hunter was?

Blondie then oh so graciously pointed out some of the perks of being a Hunter. I raised an eyebrow when Leorio was more concerned about having the Kurta address him properly, which ultimately led to the older applicant volunteering to end the Kurta bloodline. Of course, Blondie wouldn't have that and the two marched out of the room.

"They're worse than my bulls," I sighed.

Well, technically they weren't _my _bulls since I was just a part-timer, but they were under my care at the local ranch back in my village. I herded them from here to there. Talked to them when I was bored since all they mostly did was eat grass when they weren't out headbutting each other. Sometimes I handled the sheep too. They were an even _bigger _bore to take care of, but way cuter.

"How's about I go check on them to make sure they don't kill each other?" I suggested, when suddenly a sailor pointed out a very large, very dangerous looking waterspout outside. Well shit. "Or maybe I can help with saving our asses? That works too."


	2. Chapter 2

_"Or maybe I can help with saving our asses? That works too."_

=oOo=

Outside. I was finally outside and away from those cramped up rooms and narrow hallways.

Hell yeah.

Ah sweet, fresh open air. A little wet, but fresh air nonetheless. I couldn't appreciate the open air for long though since we busied ourselves with keeping the ship whole and afloat. Goddamn storm was quite literally raining on my parade.

Either luck wasn't on my side or all that cursing about the water finally caught up to me, but I found Katsuo and myself being thrown overboard by a particularly strong wave. Quickly, I pulled out my whip and it managed to hold onto something and kept me from hitting the water. I then tried to grab Katsuo, but I was too late. He was already out of my reach. Cursing, I landed back on deck and ran to the edge of the boat, hoping and praying that the kind sailor wouldn't meet an untimely death.

Kurapika and Leorio postponed their brawl and tried to reach for him as well, but they weren't fast enough either. It was then that my eyes grew wide.

Did he just…? No way. He couldn't have! Dear gods he did! Was Gon completely out of his mind?!

I watched Gon jump off of the boat and catch the sailor. Thankfully, Kurapika and Leorio managed to grab on to the boy's legs and prevented either of them from being sent to Davy Jones' Locker.

"Pull 'em out… Now!" I heard Leorio order and I was right above them to grab hold of the unconscious man.

Quickly, I laid Katsuo down on the deck and despite the heavy rain, I leaned down and tried to find a heartbeat. There was none. He wasn't breathing either. A curse escaped me as I locked my hands together and placed them above his chest. Praying that I would do more good than harm, I began to push down in steady, equal counts.

"One, two, three. One, two, three."

Still, there was nothing. Frowning, I tilted his head up, pinched his nose and breathed into his mouth before I began to pump his chest once again. This time, he ended up coughing out water and regaining consciousness. A small smile appeared on my face.

"D-Demina?!" Katsuo gasped, disoriented and confused.

"Welcome back sailor," I laughed, slapping a hand against my knee in relief. I looked over my shoulder and waved a hand. "Get him inside." I was in no place to make orders, but Katsuo needed some rest and being in the middle of this storm was not going to help with that.

Not long after the whole fiasco, the sun finally decided to show itself and I couldn't help but smile as I enjoyed its warmth. "Ah sun! Where have you been all this time?!" I sighed. On the other side of the deck, I could make out Kurapika and Leorio's lecture about Gon's reckless attitude.

"You idiot!" Leorio angrily stated just as I found my way over to them. "If we hadn't grabbed your legs, you would've been shark bait by now!"

Kurapika turned away, shaking his head and closing his eyes. "Honestly," he sighed as he crossed his arms. "How reckless can you be?"

A knowing grin appeared on the young boy's face. "But you did catch me." I couldn't help but laugh at the boy's statement. Not really something I had expected to come from a kid. And it wasn't only me that thought so too. "You two caught me!"

"Well, I guess so…" Leorio muttered, the bemused expression of his still on his face. I, on the other hand, smiled at the boy.

"Wouldn't that make you a very lucky kid then?" I chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Finally, someone crazier than me!" A round of laughter echoed around the four of us, only to be disrupted by Katsuo's voice.

The man began to thank the boy, but Gon wouldn't take the glory all to himself. He even pointed out that it was I who revived him, much to my embarrassment. Leorio and Kurapika were likewise humbled by Gon's selflessness but made no show of it. Instead, Kurapika waved the whole thing off while Leorio blushed and told him that he was just relieved that he was fine.

"You really had me scared there for a moment Katsuo!" I exclaimed, patting the man's shoulder and making him grow red for some reason I didn't know. I tilted my head and pulled my eyebrows together. "Oi, you really alright? You look kinda feverish." Katsuo shook his head and excused himself quickly, maybe a little too quickly. Maybe a little too suspiciously quick.

I pouted. "What's up with him?"

"You practically kissed the man, Demina," Leorio stated. I could definitely see him trying hard not to laugh.

I huffed at his assessment and waved a hand to dismiss it. "It was CPR and you know it," I simply said. "Either that or he'd be in a lot more trouble." I made a face, noting how weird it felt being called by my full name. Like I was in trouble or something. Well, I usually _was_ when people called me that. "And don't call me Demina. It feels weird."

"Then what should we call you?" Gon asked.

I smiled at the boy. "Mina," I replied. "Mina's what they call me back in Corymb. Just didn't want to get touchy-feely with you guys on the first day," I added with a shrug, causing Gon to chuckle.

"I apologize for my rude behavior. Sorry, Leorio-san," Kurapika suddenly said out of the blue.

Said man blushed and waved him off. "What's with the sudden change? We sound like strangers," he muttered beneath his breath even though really, all of us could hear him. "Just call me Leorio… Leorio works." He paused, a glum expression appearing on his face for a moment before it disappeared. "Although, I take back everything I said. I was wrong."

"No, it's okay."

The exchange brought a small smile on both mine and Gon's faces. "Maybe you guys aren't really a pair of bulls," I chuckled to myself as I shook my head.

"A pair of what?" Leorio and Kurapika asked in unison, confusion clearly etched on their faces.

At that moment, the captain came out laughing with a bottle of liquor in his hand. He explained to us that he had decided to pass all four of us and would take us to Dolle Harbor, the port nearest to the exam site.

=oOo=

All four of us ended up staring at a map, trying to figure out where exactly we were supposed to go. Gon told us that the captain told him to head for the giant cedar tree while Leorio explicitly pointed out that the exam would be held at Zaban City which was at the opposite direction.

My head began to hurt again as Kurapika and Leorio began _another_ debate and I had to massage my temples to keep the ache at bay. This was the third time today. "Are you alright Mina?" Gon asked, unintentionally breaking up the pair's discussion.

"Ah, yep," I replied. "Just another headache."

"But we're not at sea anymore," the boy unwittingly pointed out, much to my amusement. He really thought I was seasick.

"I know."

"And we're not in a confined space," Kurapika added, causing me to twitch.

"How many times do I have to say I'm not claustrophobic?" I grunted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Either way, I could give you some medicine if you want," Leorio stated. To further emphasize his offer, he raised his red and black suitcase.

I waved a hand and dismissed it. "Nah, I'm used to it anyway," I replied. "I'm not seasick, and I'm sure as hell ain't claustrophobic. It's just one of those things that I go through, alright?" None of them looked convinced, causing me to kick the ground with the heel of my boot. "What? Can you blame a girl for having amnesia?" I accidentally thought out loud.

Bad move Demina, bad move.

"Amnesia?" Kurapika echoed. "Have you seen a doctor yet?"

I stared at the blonde for a few moments. "That question made you go down a few levels on the smartness scale," I bluntly stated, amused of the expression on the Kurta's face. "Besides, there's no use in mulling over something I can't remember. I still have an idiot to find!" I announced, balling a hand into a fist.

"So you don't remember anything? Anything at all?" Gon asked.

I shook my head. "Nothing but my name," I replied quickly. "So where exactly are we heading again?"

"I'm going to the tree," the boy in green answered. "The captain must've had a reason to suggest that."

"Mind if I tag along?" I asked. Gon replied by shaking his head. Of course he didn't. "Then to the tree it is. What about the two of you?" Leorio stood his ground and went off to take the bus to Zaban, leaving Kurapika with us. "Well Blondie?"

The Kurta frowned. "Will you stop that?" I stuck out my tongue at him and he frowned even deeper. "I'll go with you," he sighed, "but it would be for satisfying my curiosity, not for having your company."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I huffed, crossing my arms. Geez, I must've really done something bad to get him _that_ annoyed with me. But whatever it was, I was sure as hell it wasn't my fault.

Gon cheered at having another companion, completely oblivious to the glaring contest happening between Blondie and I, and the three of us began the long walk to the large cedar tree. It wasn't long though before Leorio joined us again, spouting things like us missing him and not having as much fun without him.

As funny as he was, he was getting real annoying, slowly but surely.

It was during another one of Leorio's loud speeches that I felt something off and it caused me to stop for a moment and look behind us. There was this feeling I couldn't shake off and it was really bothering me. I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but I could definitely feel it. Call it a gut feeling or intuition… or instinct. I was just wary of the invisible presence following us.

"Anything wrong Mina?" Leorio asked, finally ceasing from his talking. I narrowed my eyes at the large rock we had passed. There was something wrong with it, but I just couldn't place it. "Mina?" the glasses-wearing man called out, this time catching everyone's attention and stopping them from moving on.

I continued to glare at the innocent-looking rock for a few more seconds before grunting and turning away. "It's nothing," I murmured. I stole one more look at the rock before shaking my head and proceeded to walk. "It's nothing."

Maybe I was just hallucinating, again.

Eventually, we reached a seemingly deserted town.

Keyword: _Seemingly_

Gon pointed out that there were several people within the area. As if right on cue, a door opened and several men in cloaks and masks rolled out a stage that carried an old woman, startling us in the process. The old woman began mumbling out a world and Leorio echoed it. He proceeded to repeat her words, like some weird parrot, until the woman suddenly blurted out the whole thing.

"Exciting Two-Choice Quiz!" I blinked several times as I tried to digest what she just said while several of the masked people played some sort of a jingle.

Well _that_ was completely unexpected. Talk about an instant game show…

The granny began to explain what we had to do and I didn't like the concept of an all-or-nothing test. We needed to answer a single-question quiz correctly if we wanted to get through the town and reach the tree. In five seconds, we were supposed to give the correct answer, either the number one or the number two. If we got it wrong, we fail the whole exam.

"So if one of them gets it wrong, I fail too?" Leorio asked and I seriously could feel my blood pressure rising. The nerve of that guy.

"As if that would happen," Kurapika huffed. "It's more likely that the opposite would happen."

"You go tell 'im Blondie!" I cheered. Kurapika quickly looked my way and shot me glare. "What?"

"How many-"

Gon raised his hands and we all turned. "But you know… That would mean only one of us should know the answer, and that would be easier, right? I'm not really good at quizzes you see…" A hum of agreement echoed, but I wasn't really going to rely on that idea that much. There was also the very slim, tiny chance that none of us would know the answer. But then again, it _was_ very unlikely.

"Hey there. Hurry it up," a man suddenly called out. I turned and narrowed my eyes.

Hah. So I _wasn't_ hallucinating after all.

"Or else I'll answer the question first."

"Who are you?" Leorio pointedly asked, his eyes narrowing at the rugged man.

"He followed us here, all the way from the port," Gon explained.

"Huh? Seriously?" Leorio asked.

The man shrugged. "Sorry, kid. I happened to overhear your conversation."

"Sneaky little bastard," I grumbled, a hand going for my whip. "I should've taken care of you when I had the chance…" I took a step forward, but Kurapika stretched out an arm and stopped me from doing anything brash. Still mumbling, I backed away when I noticed the Kurta's serious look. I was annoyed with him, no doubt, but there were really just sometimes that I had no choice but to listen to him.

"Oh? I think I might have offended the little missy," he chuckled a little too darkly for my liking.

Huffing, I turned away and crossed my arms. I was so going to get him. Maybe not today, but someday.

"What will you do?" the granny asked. Leorio suggested to let the man take it first so we could get a better grip on things, but I doubted it would be of any help. But none of us argued and the man went on to take the test. "Here is your question… Evil villains have captured your mother and your lover. You can only save one? Select 1 for your mother or 2 for your lover. Which will you save?"

I scowled at the question. What kind of question was that? Leorio immediately went off to question the fairness of the quiz, but the man went ahead and answered 1. When he was asked why, he told her that he could find another lover, but not another mother.

Now what kind of reason was that?

I was pretty sure that he failed, so imagine my surprise when the old lady allowed him to pass.

In the meantime, Leorio began to rant again, a trait of his that was really getting on his nerves, no matter how well-founded his reasoning was. Fed up with the test, he tried to leave the area, but the old woman stopped him, saying that if he left, he would be disqualified.

"But different people would expect different answers!" Leorio pointed out. I sighed because for once, he was right. "There is no right answer!"

And then boom, it came crashing down on me like a coconut from a tree.

"Leorio!" a voice that wasn't mine called out. It was Blondie. It looked like he figured it out too. Smart one that blonde was. But before either of us could point out the right response, Granny stopped us.

"Say anything but the answer and you will be disqualified!" I inwardly groaned. This would be troublesome. Leorio and Gon. What a match. The odds had me slapping a hand to my forehead. "Here is your question… Your son and daughter have been kidnapped. You can only rescue one. Select 1 for your son or 2 for your daughter. Which will you rescue?"

Shaking my head, I walked towards the nearest wall and waited for the time to end. Leorio was getting antsy. Kurapika seemed to be praying that neither of them, particularly Leorio, would mess it up. Gon just stood there, thinking.

When the woman reached zero, Leorio jumped and tried to attack the woman with a piece of wood he had picked up. Quickly, Kurapika stopped him by blocking his attack.

As expected of the hot-headed man, he began to verbally lash out, but when Kurapika began to explain, he eventually calmed down. It was amusing how he hadn't realized that he blurted out the right answer from the very beginning. The old woman smiled at Kurapika's explanation and opened the right path for us.

After an apology from Leorio, she wished him good luck with a warm smile on her face. On the other hand, Gon exasperatedly sighed, falling to the ground on his rear.

"It's no use. I can't think of an answer."

"You were still trying to find an answer?" Leorio laughed, Kurapika joining him as well. "You can stop."

"Huh? Why?"

"The quiz is over," Kurapika explained.

"I know but…" Gon lowered his head. "What if I run into a situation like that and I can only save one person… What should I do then? It wouldn't be right to choose just one… But one day I would have to make that choice." An eerie silence fell between all of us as we thought over it.

What _were_ we supposed to do? Maybe Gon wasn't as naïve as I thought.

Shaking my head, I pushed myself off of the wall and dusted off my clothes before reaching out a hand for Gon to take so I could pull him up. "It's tough ain't it?" I asked. He nodded as he grabbed my hand. "I've never really been in that situation, so I can't really help you on that one." With a gentle tug, he was up on his feet again.

"I know…" he whispered as I let go of his hands and turned towards the path the old lady showed us.

I groaned when my eyes landed on the black gaping hole. Of all the things…

"Scared yet?"


	3. Chapter 3

"_Scared yet?"_

=oOo=

I wasn't scared. A bit on edge, but I was definitely not scared. And though it almost took me more than half of my concentration to keep all the sick things my imagination was coming up with at bay, I managed to keep up with the boys' pace, somehow.

"I hate this."

A groan came from both Kurapika and Leorio while Gon simply chuckled. It would've been the hundredth time that I said that and I was sure I was getting on their nerves, but it was either that or being with my lonesome, quiet mind. Guess which one I chose.

"I really, really hate this."

"We know," Leorio muttered.

"And I really, really hate how this is the only way to get to the goddamn tree."

"We know Mina, we know." It was Kurapika this time.

"I really want to get out of here now."

"Believe it or not, we feel the same way," Blondie sighed.

"Especially if it gets you to shut up," the oldest of us four grumbled.

Fifteen minutes. It's been fifteen minutes since we entered the damn tunnel and we still hadn't reached the end. There was the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, but it wasn't getting any closer with each step we took. And aside from the depressing thought that we weren't getting anywhere, my aching wrist was a main point of my concern as well. Due to a series of unfortunate events, I ended up having my wrist bashed into a wall and surrendering my knife to Blondie.

Said unfortunate events had something to do with Leorio pushing me into the tunnel for fun and me reacting violently. _Very_ violently.

Thankfully, no one got hurt, but I was still one weapon down. It wasn't like I couldn't live without it – I had my whip after all – but it just wasn't the same. Besides, a whip could only do so much and it really wasn't bad to have a backup plan.

Another five minutes passed and everything was quiet. Too quiet. I could only hear our footsteps echoing within the tunnel and it made me all the more conscious of how close the walls really were. The ground was starting to tilt bit by bit, and I was getting harder and harder to breathe. I needed to get out.

Slowly, I began to lag behind. The air around me became colder and the darkness was, well, getting darker. It became impossible for me to breathe and walk at the same time and I found myself reaching out for the nearest wall to lean against on.

Breathe Demina, remember how to breathe.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

I guessed that didn't work since my knees finally gave way and I became a shaking mess on the ground.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Please, please work. You always worked. Why won't you work now?

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the shadows flashing before my eyes, but even with my eyes closed, they were still there. Why wouldn't they just let me be? Why was it that wherever I go, no matter what I did, they were always there? Why don't they just go away?

A whimper escaped my lips as I desperately tried to block them out. They weren't real. They weren't real. They weren't real. I kept telling myself that over and over again, but they wouldn't let up. Instead, they started to scream, loudly. It wasn't the nonsensical screaming, it was those bloodcurdling, fear-induced screams and it sent chills running down my spine.

Nine years. Nine bloody years I had to go through this, whether I was awake or in my nightmares, and it never got any easier. Sometimes, I was lucky enough to have someone around that'd snap me out of it, but now wasn't one of those lucky moments. I didn't know why and I couldn't even _fathom_ it, but the boys weren't anywhere. Had they already left me? Didn't they notice that I wasn't behind them anymore? Where were they?

"_Mina…"_

I froze at the sound of my name. It was a first and it sent me into another wave of panic and fear. They weren't supposed to do that and I covered my ears to block it out, ignoring the pain coming from my left hand. Please, go away, go away, go away.

"_Mina…"_

I closed my eyes even tighter and shook my head wildly. "Go away!" I shrieked.

"_Mina…"_

My hands pressed up against my ears even harder, to the point that my nails were beginning to dig into my skin. "Stop, stop, stop!"

"_Mina…"_

"This is not real, this is not real, this is not real…" I began to chant, but whatever it was calling out to me didn't stop. "No, no, no, no, _no!_ I-I… Th-This…" Something grabbed me by the shoulders and began shaking me.

"Mina, open your eyes!"

The familiar voice had me pausing and reluctantly, I opened my eyes. The shadows were gone and I let out a shaky sigh of relief. It had also become very quiet and all I could hear was my erratic heartbeat and breathing. "Y-You… I-I…"

"Are you alright? Can you get up?"

I nodded slowly and I pulled myself onto my feet. My knees were a bit wobbly, but I could manage. "I…" I swallowed. I felt a bit light-headed, but it wasn't something I couldn't handle. "I can explain."

He shook his head. "Gon and Leorio were wondering where you went when we realized you hadn't exited the tunnel with us."

A few moments passed before the Kurta's words sank in. "You… You finally got out?"

"Yes."

"You…" I took a deep breath. "I bet you drew the shortest straw and had to come and get me." There, a bit better. At least I sounded a little like myself in that statement.

"Actually, I volunteered," he told me.

"And why would you do that?" I asked, not entirely convinced. I was a bit out of it, but that didn't mean I was gullible. Besides, it wasn't like we were the best of friends to have him do that for me.

"Because the last time a stranger tried to help you in that state, you almost punched him." There was an undeniable bitterness in his answer.

"Ah… Right," I breathed. "Sorry about that." Now I remembered why he was mad at me in the first place. It was another one of my episodes and though it wasn't as bad as the one I just had, I was a trembling mess nevertheless. Out of goodwill, he had asked what was wrong and I answered by throwing a fist at him.

He did _not_ respond well to that.

"Anyway, Leorio and Gon are outside," he stated. "We better not keep them waiting."

"Y-Yeah…" At that, he began walking and I hurriedly grabbed his sleeve. "Wait."

Kurapika turned a bit. "Is anything wrong?"

I shook my head. "About what you heard… or saw… Please don't tell them. Even if they ask, please don't."

"You expect me to lie?" He sounded dubious.

"I expect you to keep a friend's secret," I bit back, tugging on his sleeve. "If they need to find out, then I'll tell them. But they don't, so I won't."

The Kurta took a moment to consider his answer before sighing. "Alright," he replied. "But at least I deserve an explanation."

It was my turn to think over my answer. As far as I knew Blondie – which wasn't very far at all – he could be trusted. He wasn't a loud mouth like Leorio, and he wasn't as innocent as Gon. I could trust him.

"Fine, but on one condition," I sighed. "Until we get out of here, I'll hold onto your sleeve and when we get out, you won't breathe a single word about this to anyone."

"That's two conditions."

"Don't be a smartass."

He kept quiet for a moment before I felt his sleeve urge me to move forward. "Come on then."

A small smile made its way onto my face, relieved that he allowed me to hold onto him, but I was also a bit lost on what exactly to tell him as we began to walk. There were a lot of things I could say, but if I had to focus on trying to explain what happened earlier, then I had to tell him about the things I see and hear. Oh well. Better than nothing.

"I suffer from severe hallucinations," I quietly began. "I don't know why, but I do. Doctors said that there's a large chance it had something to do with my lost memories, but I don't believe it. I don't wanna believe it."

"And why won't you believe them?" the Kurta levelly asked.

I took a deep breath. "Because if that was the case, then I have a very twisted past. Silhouettes chasing after me. Screaming all around me." I shook my head. "I don't want to believe all those things really happened."

"So you were hallucinating earlier, and that time on the ship?"

I nodded. "I don't know exactly how or why they start. Usually, they come up when it's too dark, too crowded, too quiet, but sometimes, they just… start."

Kurapika considered my words for a few seconds. "Why don't you want the others to know then? I don't see how Leorio and Gon wouldn't be able to understand."

A scowl spread across my face. I've been doing that a lot recently, scowling. "It's not about whether they understand or not," I answered with a bit of bitterness. "But telling them would make them all the more real. Talking about it makes me feel like my life's going to be controlled by those… things, like they're going to be the reason why I won't be able to do what I want to do… Life like that isn't life. It's a prison."

And I had enough time of being cooped up in a cell, thank you very much.

"So you choose to take the torture and just pretend it never happened?" he asked and I could tell he didn't like how I handled things. "I admire your resolve to push on, but can you really just brush them off like that?"

"They're hallucinations, Kurapika. They're products of my sick, overactive imagination. They're_ not_ real." It felt odd to use the Kurta's name, but now really wasn't the time to use nicknames. I was being serious here.

"It doesn't mean they can't hurt you."

I narrowed my eyes at the blonde. This was supposed to be an explanation, not a debate. "You don't hear me complaining about wasting your life on hunting down the Phantom Troupe now, do you?"

"I don't see what that has anything to do with this," he muttered, annoyed that I brought that up.

"It means that I have my business and you have yours," I pointedly said. "We both have our reasons for doing things the way we do and let's just leave it at that." Blondie fell silent. By that time, the exit was already within reach and I let go of his sleeve. "Promise, you won't tell a single soul about what I told you?"

"… I promise."

I nodded at his answer and let a small, grateful smile grace my lips.

"Thank you, Kurapika."

=oOo=

We found quite the welcoming committee at the cottage. A man was on the floor, bleeding, while a magical beast, a Kiriko if I remembered correctly, took off with a woman in its arms.

How lovely and encouraging this was all turning out to be.

Leorio immediately volunteered treat the man's wounds and the rest of us went after the beast that took his wife. We headed for the woods and soon caught up with the Kirikio's shadow.

"That boy never ceases to amaze me," I murmured as I kept up with Gon's pace. He was following the Kiriko up in the trees while I stayed on the forest floor with Blondie. Though it was easy for me to follow the beast, Gon was several years younger than me but his skills were at par with mine. Or maybe – god let that not be the case – even better than mine.

"Kurapika!" came Gon's voice as the woman fell.

Blondie quickly jumped and caught the woman and I skidded to a stop beside them, panting. "That was a close one," I grunted as I searched the trees. "Damn it! I lost them."

"He's so reckless," I heard Kurapika say as he settled the woman down on the ground. "Are you okay? Are you injured anywhere?" the blonde asked and I turned towards them to see for myself if she was fine.

"I'm okay," the woman weakly reassured us. "What about my husband? How is he?"

"Don't worry, our friend is taking care of him," Kurapika calmly answered.

"Please, take me to my husband!"

"Those tattoos…" I heard him murmur, causing me check what he was talking about. I widened my eyes as I recognized the markings on the woman's forearm. It didn't make any sense, but before I could ask, something moved in the nearby bushes.

"Who's there?!" I called out, a hand already around the grip of my whip as I eyed the dark forest. A man came into view and I slowly let go of my weapon. "Leorio? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you guys were safe," he easily answered, but something felt off about him. Really, really off, according to my gut. He looked and sounded like Leorio, but the vibe he was giving off was entirely different.

"Right," I curtly replied as I walked over to him and handed him my bad hand. "Then make yourself useful and take a look at my hand. I hurt it while I was chasing the Kiriko."

"Sure," 'Leorio' replied with a small shrug. "Did you hit it on a branch or something?"

I narrowed my eyes, my suspicions confirmed. "I lied. Blondie slammed it onto the wall of the tunnel, remember?" I whispered into his ear, right before I balled my hand into a fist and landed a solid punch across the impostor's face. My eyes grew wide as pain suddenly shot up my arm.

Goddamit Demina! Wrong hand, wrong hand!

Quickly, I pulled my hand back and moved away from the 'Leorio' as he began to laugh. "How did you know I was an impostor?" He began to revert to his original form, and to say that it wasn't one of the weirdest things I've ever seen would be a lie.

"Something just didn't seem right," I muttered as I flexed my left hand. It hurt like a bitch. "But I wasn't too sure so I had to find out and I gave you information that Leorio would've known to be false, no matter how much of an idiot he is." The beast chuckled to himself before he jumped and hid within the trees once again. Though I wanted to go after him, I knew there were more pressing matters at hand. Namely, the woman with the tattoo. "Alright," I huffed, "now back to you, lady."

"We need you to answer a question," Kurapika said. "Who are you?" The woman smirked and after a few moments, she began to shake her head and laugh.

"Quite a team the two of you are," she laughed as she pushed away Kurapika's weapon.

Team? Hardly.

I raised a fine eyebrow, finally noticing that there was something off about her too. We had been too caught up with trying to save her that I completely missed it. "You're also a magical beast," I pointed out, not the slightest bit amused by the whole set up. "That would mean the man in the cottage…"

The woman nodded. "He's also like me. As a matter of fact, he's my brother." Quietly, she stood up and motioned for us to follow her. "Why don't we head back and wait for the others at the cottage?" I turned to look at Kurapika and we managed to agree and wordlessly followed the Kiriko.

"Mina," I heard Kurapika finally say, breaking the silence.

I tilted my head and glanced his way. "Hm?"

"How is your hand?"

I eyed the blonde for a few quiet seconds before letting out a sigh. "It hurts, but I'll live. I completely forgot I wasn't supposed to use it, but I used it anyway, so it really hurts right now," I sighed, slapping my good hand to my forehead out of my own stupidity.

"Would you like me to have a look at it? If it's not too serious, then I can easily take care of it for you," he quietly offered and I really had to look at him closely to make sure he wasn't joking. But he was serious about it and I couldn't help but feel that this was his way of saying sorry for it without actually trying to say so.

Well, I guessed that was as good a deal as I was going to get tonight. "Sure," I huffed, "As soon as we get back, you can knock yourself out."

A small smile appeared on the Kurta's lips, but as soon as it appeared, it disappeared. Though it was only a glimpse, it made me feel that maybe the two of us could really, actually get along. That maybe there'd come a time when we'd stop being at odds with each other, or trying to bite off each other's head.

Riding on that idea and pressing my luck, I let a minute pass before I opened my mouth again.

"So does this mean I can get my knife back?"

* * *

_I admit this may not be one of my best parts yet, but I feel that it's not the worst._


	4. Chapter 4

"_So does this mean I can get my knife back?"_

=oOo=

No, it didn't mean I could get my knife back.

Asshole.

"Ouch! Watch where you're poking you dumbass!" I hissed.

"I would if you stopped moving!" Kurapika answered through clenched teeth. He moved another portion of the bandage around my hand, but he applied too much pressure and another curse left my lips.

"Dammit Blondie! Even a stray cat could bandage my hand better than you!"

His eyebrow began to twitch. "I'd be doing a better job if you weren't constantly shouting into my ear!"

"Mina, Kurapika. Why don't I do it? It'd save everyone a lot of-"

"No!" Blondie and I answered in unison, surprising the old man and causing him to take a step back.

Leorio had already been waiting for us back at the cottage and while we were waiting for Gon who was taking his sweet damn time, Blondie had decided to take a look at my hand, just as he had promised. It wasn't too serious and a bandage would be enough just to keep it from moving too much, but with the treatment I was being given, it felt like I was going to end up in way worse condition than I already was.

"There," the Kurta sighed as he let go of my hand. "All done."

I rolled my eyes as I slipped my hand back into the fingerless glove I wore. "Finally. I thought it'd never end."

"You're welcome," he grunted.

"Are they always like this?" I heard one of the Kiriko ask. It was the woman we 'saved'.

Leorio nodded. "More or less."

"Leorio! Kurapika! Mina!"

All three of us turned and saw Gon running towards us, a Kiriko following right behind him. Apparently, they were a family of Kiriko and were also the Navigators and some sort of examiner as well. Gon passed for his keen senses and superhuman abilities. Kurapika passed for his knowledge. Leorio passed because of his kindness. I passed because of my intuition and ability to think on my feet, which - in my opinion - was really overdoing it, giving me too much credit. I didn't like being in the spotlight. The four of them agreed to take us to Zaban City and carried us as they flew through the night sky.

=oOo=

"Gon, stay here!" I called out. "You're gonna get lost." Honestly, that boy was more unstill than a worm bathed in salt. He kept on darting from one stall to another and it was only a matter of time before he ends up in some dark alley, lost and alone. It was already hard enough to keep track of our Navigator in this crowd of people. "Gon!"

Chuckling, Leorio hooked an arm around my neck. "Relax, Mina. You're not the kid's mom. Let him have his fun." Scowling, I crossed my arms and blew away a stray lock of hair from my face. "See, you're looking older already."

An eyebrow of mine twitched. He was one to talk, that old geezer. "Have you ever experienced a shoulder throw, Leorio?" The man stiffened and immediately took back his arm. "Thought so." My eyes went back to the boy lagging behind and I suppressed a groan. This was pointless. I was going to shut my mouth now. I didn't care anymore if my sisterly side began clawing at me from the inside out. Nope. I was just gonna ignore it.

"But you have to admit, Zaban's quite a shady place," Leorio murmured.

"Prosperous cities tend to attract all sorts of nasty types," Kurapika stated and my earlier scowl deepened. Nasty was right.

It didn't take us too long before we reached the exam sight thanks to our Navigator. Immediately, the tall, fancy building caught our attention, but our not-so-little helper pointed out that the small restaurant beside it was the place. Not that it was a real shocker to me. With all the tests and gigs the captain, the granny and the Kiriko had set up, it wasn't unlikely they had another one in stored for us. In this case, they pulled off the 'hiding in plain sight' trick.

"One in every ten thousand…" the Kiriko began once we reached the backroom. "That's the number of applicants who make it this far. For first timers, you've done extremely well. I wish you all good luck." He motioned to leave, but Gon reached out a hand and I couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks!" the boy chirped, a bright look on his face.

The Kiriko's expression softened and he shook the kid's hand. I couldn't deny it. Gon really had that effect on people. "I would be happy to serve as your Navigator next year, as well."

I made a face. Implications, implications. I didn't like what he was implying, but I let it go. If ever we _did_ fail – and I swear to the gods above that at least I wouldn't, and maybe Gon – it was still reassuring in a sick, pessimistic way that they had our backs. As soon as the man left and closed the door, the room began to shake… and go down.

"It's a goddamn elevator…" I murmured as I slapped a hand to my forehead, the realization not really all that welcome.

Leorio pulled out a chair for himself, a frown on his face as he sat down. "He really expects us to fail this year, doesn't he?" So Leorio caught that one too.

"One in every three years," Kurapika stated, my eyebrows going up. "It's the frequency with which a rookie passes the exam."

"Hey, I've heard that one before," I mused. "The boys back home were nagging me about it. Said I couldn't do it and crap. Real pain in the asses… But it just goes to show how brutal the Exam is, whether it be physical or mental." Gon pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit, but I waved a hand and politely declined. Instead, I began pacing around the room.

"There are also those that purposefully take the Exam over and over again in order to break the rookies," Blondie pointed out. "Consequently, those rookies never take the test again."

"Rookie crushers," I added, nodding to myself. "That's what they call them."

"So I guess people are really willing to risk everything to become Hunters," Gon sighed.

I shrugged, waving my good hand about. "Well, yeah. If you think of all the things you can do and achieve by being a Hunter, who wouldn't risk it?"

"No one, of course!" Leorio suddenly blurted out, slamming his hands onto the table with a wide smile on his face. "Hunters make the most money in this world!"

The sound of another pair of hands being slammed onto the table echoed and I immediately knew where this was heading. "No. Hunters are the most noble in this world," Blondie argued. I inwardly groaned. Here we go again.

On the bright side, they were really keeping me entertained. It was nice to see Kurapika get all peeved at someone other than me and it was getting my mind off of certain things I didn't like to think of right now.

"Glory hog…"

"Money grubber!"

An amused huff escaped my lips. To think that Blondie would resort to name calling. What was the world coming to? While the two continued to argue, I continued to pace around the room. It was better than standing while the two were talking. It's not like they'd see the light and settle their differences if they keep going at it. I just felt sorry for Gon; he was bound to be dragged into their fight, seeing as he was the youngest and supposedly the easiest to influence. I could really tell Blondie and Leorio were trying to make him take their side.

"Gon, what do you think?"

I rolled my eyes. And there it was.

"Which kind of Hunter do you hope to become?!"

Thankfully, we arrived at our destination before the idea of smashing their heads together became too tempting to resist. Outside, the air was filled with tension so thick I could cut it with my knife. _If_ I had my knife right now. Not long after we had arrived, a small, green person in a suit began to hand out numbers and instructed us to keep them with us at all times. He was an odd man in an amusing, cute sort of way. I got the number 406, the last number so far. I had just pinned the number to my shirt when a short, tubby man called us, pointing out that he hadn't seen us before.

"Yo."

"You can tell we're new?" Gon innocently asked as we observed the man sitting.

"More or less," he answered as he jumped off of the ledge. "After all, this is my thirty-fifth attempt."

"Thirty-five times?" we exclaimed in unison. It was either this man had determination that was as unmovable as a mountain or he was as dense as one. Failing thirty-four times should have been a very clear sign that he wasn't cut out to become a Hunter. But then again, rookie crushers took their hobbies very seriously. _If_ the man was a rookie crusher.

My gut, however, was telling me to drop the 'if' in that thought.

"Well, you could say that I'm a veteran," he chuckled good-naturedly.

"Veteran my ass," I grumbled quietly.

From the side I could hear Leorio murmur. "That isn't something to brag about."

Kurapika nodded. "Indeed."

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me," the stranger continued on.

"Thanks," Gon wholeheartedly said. I kept myself from shaking my head. The boy was trusting to a fault, but I had to admit, it was one of the points I liked about him the most. Oh so innocent Gon despite being surrounded by evil creatures.

"My name is Tonpa," the man said, reaching out a hand at Gon.

"I'm Gon," the boy said and they shook hands. "These are Kurapika, Leorio and-"

"Demina," I pointedly said, causing my three companions to raise their eyebrows, but I had my reasons. I wasn't going to have a suspiciously friendly stranger call me Mina.

"Hey, are there other examinees that have taken the exam a bunch of times like you?" Gon asked, shrugging off how I had interrupted him.

Tonpa nodded. "Well, I have the most experience here, but there are a few others." One by one, he began to point out a few of the repeaters that he knew. Gon continued to engage the man in a pleasant conversation, that is, until a scream tore through the air. Out of habit, I quickly covered my ears and closed my eyes, but when the rest of the morbid visions didn't come up, I pried my eyes open to check what exactly was going on.

Red petals were falling.

At first I thought the little things were pretty, but when I found the source, I shuddered and backed away from the things. They were coming from an applicant's arms. Scratch that. They _were_ the applicant's arms. It didn't take long before we got to know who was responsible since a man soon spoke up, brushing off the whole thing like it was nothing. I didn't even need to consult my gut to be sure that the man spelled trouble… or danger, whichever was appropriate.

"That psychopath's back again…"

"Again?" Gon echoed, voicing my thoughts.

"You mean to say he took last year's exam as well?"

Tonpa nodded as an answer to the Kurta's question. "#44, Hisoka the magician. Last year, he was a virtual lock to pass the test, until he all but killed an examiner he didn't like."

"A-And they're still allowing him to take the test this year?" Leorio stammered. He was worried, and he had a right to be. This Hisoka person was not really someone anyone could just bump into without causing a scene.

"Of course," the self-proclaimed veteran replied. "Every year, both the examiners and the test content changes. Even the devil himself could pass if that were the examiners' decision. That's just how the Hunter Exam works... Anyway, no one likes him."

"Geez… I wonder why," I muttered, crossing my arms.

Tonpa gave me a look. "You guys should stay away too, for your own sakes."

"Will do," I sighed, shrugging a bit. Not really the most trustworthy person, but there _was_ some wisdom in Tonpa's words. Avoiding Hisoka was probably for the best.

"Oh right…" All four of us turned to the man while he rummaged through the things in his bag. "A little something to mark our acquaintance. How about it?" Tonpa pulled out four cans of orange juice. I eyed the innocent-looking cans and when I was offered a can, I politely declined mine. Something just really felt wrong with the whole thing and I just couldn't take the drink without knowing for sure what's up.

As it turned out, Gon had tasted something wrong with the drink and Leorio and Kurapika promptly disposed of theirs. My eyes narrowed when his demeanor changed after Gon pointed out it was expired. I wasn't really one to point fingers – no really, I wasn't, alright, maybe sometimes – but if I had to take a guess, those drinks hadn't gone bad. They had been tampered with. Of course, without any proof, I couldn't really outright lash at the man for doing such a thing. Instead, I just crossed my arms and watched the veteran stammer and sweat his way through his blunder until he finally let us be.

"Talkative old man…" Leorio grumbled.

"He's real nervous about something..." I hummed as I crouched down to pick up one of the cans they emptied. I turned it over several times and when I finally found it, an unamused huff escaped my lips. Sneaky little bastard that Tonpa was. Judging from the small black numbers at the bottom of the can, the drinks were supposed to be good for another few weeks.

At that point, an alarm went off and one of the walls began to move. It revealed a lanky, white-haired man holding an equally odd toy-head thing. "I apologize for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin!" People stiffened up and I tossed the can away. There was no use in worrying about Tonpa now. As long as we stayed away from him, then things should go smoothly as they possibly could during the Hunter Exam.

"A final caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risk, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you."

I looked around, but no one made a move to leave. If anything, everyone looked even more determined.

"Very well. All 405 applicants will participate in Phase One." The man, who I guessed was an Examiner, began to walk and everyone started to follow him, just as he instructed. It didn't really take that long for the slow, steady pace to speed up and soon, we found ourselves already running. Not that it really concerned me. What I was _really_ interested in was the way the Examiner ran. It was, for lack of a better word, weird. I mean, who ran with their limbs perfectly straight?

"I neglected to introduce myself," he said and I huffed. "I'm Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase."

I raised an eyebrow. Second Phase? Then that would mean the First Phase would be done by the time we got there. Then what was Phase One? Satotz said he was the Phase One examiner, so that would mean this whole thing was the First Phase, right? I mean, if it wasn't, the Exam Committee should've just instructed us to run down this tunnel without having to place an Examiner, right?

"Second Phase?" someone up front asked. "What about Phase One?"

"It has already commenced," Satotz answered, confirming my suspicions. Surprised gasps echoed throughout us applicants. "You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the Exam's First Phase."

"Follow you? That's it?" It was the same man who spoke up.

"Yes," the examiner answered simply. "I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need only to follow me."


	5. Chapter 5

_A little heads up to the readers. This chapter will mostly be dealing with Demina's back story._

* * *

"_I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need only to follow me."_

=oOo=

"_What's your name, sweetheart?"_

_Lazily, I turned away from the goldfish I was watching and came face to face with a woman. She was pretty, with dark blue hair tied into a loose bun and green eyes that sparkled like the water in the pond downstairs. My eyes fell onto the shiny, gold nameplate pinned to her white coat – it read Dr. Serena Rikino, Department of Child Psychiatry– before they travelled back to her face._

"_Demina," I quietly answered and I turned back to the silly little gold fish swimming around in circles within its small bowl. Stupid goldfish. It wasn't going anywhere no matter how much it swam._

"_I'm Serena. I'm the new doctor here." I nodded to let her know I understood. "How old are you?"_

"… _Seven, I think…"_

"_How long have you been here?"_

_My eyebrows pulled together as I began to silently count the days, then convert them to weeks, then to months. "Nine months, I think… But I was at an orphanage before I came here." The doctor became quiet all of a sudden, but I could still see her coat from the corner of my eye, so she hadn't left me alone yet._

"_Can I sit with you, Demina?" I shrugged as a response and scooted over. "Thank you," she chirped as she settled herself down beside me. "Do you like goldfishes, Demina?" I shrugged again. I was only watching the fish because it was the only thing interesting inside the room. "Don't you want to play with the other kids?" I shook my head. "Why not?"_

"_They don't like me," I simply said, my eyes still on the lone fish. What a stupid fish. He was still going on and on. Wasn't he getting tired of winding up at the same place? If I were him, I would be._

"_That's not true, Demina. If you try to talk to them, I'm sure you'll make some friends."_

_A heavy sigh left my lips. So she was one of__** those**__ doctors. "No, I won't."_

"_How come?"_

"_I can feel it."_

"_You can… feel it?" I nodded. "What do you feel, Demina?"_

_I shrugged. "It's like the air grows colder," I quietly said. "Sometimes, I can see it on their faces. They keep staring at me. I think they think I'm different, but I'm just guessing." The doctor fell silent and I was very happy about it. Finally, I could watch in peace again, that is, until I heard a small beeping sound, causing me to sigh and get up._

"_Where are you going?" the woman asked._

"_It's twelve o' clock," I pointed out as I headed over to the shelves filled with various containers. "It's time to feed Arvin." I pulled out several chairs of various heights and arranged them into an acceptable series of steps. I heard a chair slide across the floor and turned around. The doctor had gotten up and was making her way towards me._

"_I'll get it for you," she offered. "You might fall."_

"_I can do it," I insisted as I began going up my makeshift flight of stairs. But I guess the doctor wasn't listening because I saw her hand reach for the small can with Arvin written across it. "No. I'll do it!" Annoyed, I pushed away the doctor's hand and grabbed the can before she could. I quickly got back down to the carpeted floor and ran back to the goldfish. Stupid doctor. I told her I could do it._

"_You really like Arvin, don't you?" she asked when she got back to me._

"_Arvin's my friend. Of course I like him," I grumbled as I opened the can. "Arvin's not smart, and he doesn't talk, but at least he's not afraid of me."_

"_I'm not afraid of you."_

_I blinked at her words and stopped from what I was doing. A moment passed before I shook my head and began shaking some of the food flakes into Arvin's bowl. Doctors. They were always telling you what you wanted to hear. "You're just saying that," I huffed as I watched the little goldfish swim to the surface and munch on his food. "Maybe you're not afraid, but I think you think I'm weird."_

"_I don't." I frowned at the sound of her voice. She sounded happy. Why would she be happy? I basically told her she was lying._

"_I see things you don't," I began, my grip on Arvin's food can tightening. "I hear things you don't. They think I'm crazy. That's why they put me here." My eyes began to hurt and itch and it became hard to see. I felt something warm grab my hand and pull it away from the goldfish's bowl._

"_Who told you that?"_

_I shook my head. "No one, but I think they think that," I grumbled as I sat back down on my chair._

"_You're not crazy, sweetheart," the doctor cooed as she pried the can of food away from my hand and began to run a hand along my hair. "You're special."_

"_Well, I don't like being special," I huffed, crossing my arms. "I don't like the shadows. I don't like the blood. I don't like the crying. I don't like the screaming. I don't like the nightmares. I don't like it at all." The hand on my hair moved to my chin and gently made me look at the doctor._

"_It must be hard dealing with all those things alone, isn't it?" I frowned. There was this look on her face that I couldn't read. I was sure she was sad, but it wasn't the kind of sad that most of the nurses and the doctors around here had on. Theirs was a sad, __**pity**__, sad. Hers was a sad, __**caring**__, sad._

"_I'm not alone," I stubbornly pointed out. "I have Arvin. Arvin's going to be with me all the time, forever and ever."_

_The next day, Arvin died._

=oOo=

Shaking my head, I pushed the sad memory away and got myself back to the present. Like most of the kids had said back then, it was just a goldfish. I shouldn't be sad about it, but I was. I had been undeniably, unimaginably sad about it, and I still was. Sure, it was a stupid goldfish that didn't know any better, but that goldfish was my best friend for through the first nine months of my life after staying two weeks at an old school orphanage. Arvin had been there for me through some tough times and sometimes, I'd sneak out of bed late in the night to talk to the little fish about my nightmares. Of course, he never talked back, but even back then, I liked to vent.

So yeah, I was heartbroken when morning came and I found the stupid goldfish floating by the water's surface with it belly up. At first, I hadn't understood. I thought he was sleeping, since I never saw him sleep. I had tried waking him up, tapping on the bowl and even poking his slimy, scaly tummy, but he stayed put as much as any dead floating fish could. I didn't get the message that Arvin was dead until Serena dropped by. I was sitting in front of his bowl, as always, waiting for him to move. It had been a little before noon that time and Arvin hadn't eaten his breakfast yet. Those multi-colored flakes were long drenched and sank to the bottom of the glass bowl already.

If I was heartbroken when I saw him floating about, then I was absolutely devastated when Serena told me the ugly truth. Arvin wasn't being a lazy ass and was just sleeping in. Arvin was dead. D-E-A-D. Dead. For almost the rest of the day, I had stayed in bed and cried. I was thinking that my best friend was gone, what was I going to do?

Fate, destiny, the will of the gods. Whatever it was, it was a very sick, twisted thing because when it took away Arvin from me, they gave me Serena in exchange. The doctor was real nice to me and even bought me a new goldfish. We named him Arvin the Second, or Junior, for short– I was seven back then and I wasn't the wiser in choosing names, so don't blame me – but of course, no one would replace Arvin.

That stupid goldfish had a special place in my heart.

Serena was the first person I really got to know. The kids would just stare at me when I tried to play, and the adults really just felt sorry for me, crazy, amnesiac, orphan Demina. But Serena didn't treat me nice out of pity. She treated me nice because that was just how she was. She helped me go through the motions and eventually, after two years, eight months, three weeks and four days of arguing, crying, fighting, apologizing, studying, reading and playing, I was released from the institution. Of course, there was another problem.

I had nowhere to go. No place to go back to. No place to call my own.

That's when Serena stepped up again. She offered to take me in, and though she made it look like an option, I really didn't have one. Not that I was complaining anyway. Serena never formally adopted me, but I didn't mind because she believed my parents were still out there, somewhere and that it'd be only a matter of time before I find them, or they find me. She had resigned from her job at the institution and instead decided to set up a small clinic back in Corymb, a small town in the Kingdom of Saim which was the northern most country of the Azian Continent. At Corymb, I got to know her son who was three years older than me, Aster, and made a lot of friends with the local kids.

Aster was a jerk for the first few months, a definite asshole. He had been real jealous of me and kept telling me I wasn't going to steal his mom away from him. I had gotten used to ignoring him until one day, he took the teasing too far. Serena and I had been doing the laundry and I had wished out loud that my mom had been Serena. Aster came bursting out of the back door and pushed me onto the ground.

"_She's my mom, not yours! You don't even have one!"_

It was real immature for a thirteen year old boy, now that I thought about it, but it had really hurt the ten year old me. I really cried a lot that time and I couldn't stop. Even Serena couldn't calm me down during that time. I guess Aster couldn't take the guilt since he apologized before bedtime and by that time, I had managed to reduce my all out bawling into small whimpers. He had given me a small bouquet of flowers that were obviously from the garden and recited his apology. I had found the whole thing absolutely hilarious – the way he kept glancing at the words written on the palm of his hand – and though he took offense in that, we managed to make up and become friends. The best of friends.

Like a human version of Arvin, if you would.

Two years after that, Aster left Corymb to take the Hunter Exam. The night before, he snuck into my room and promised me he'd come back as soon as he could and help me find my parents. I was sleepy and lethargic during that time and I couldn't remember what really happened, but it ended with a pinky promise and a hug.

Four years later, there was still no news from Aster and I couldn't take it anymore. Serena kept reassuring me that he'd be back, but I could see it in her eyes the pain she was feeling. Her green eyes had lost their former brilliance, her dark blue hair had begun to go gray, and her wrinkles were growing more profound. I didn't care anymore whether or not he could help me find my parents. All I cared about was Serena and her condition. She wasn't the young woman she used to be and all this worry was really taking its toll on her.

Of course, Serena wasn't too happy when she found out I was going to take this year's Hunter Exam, but she couldn't stop me. She knew herself she couldn't, so she let me go. I promised her I'd be back as soon as possible with Aster in tow, and it was a promise I planned to keep. What I _didn't_ promise her was the condition in which I was going to return his son. I was so going to give him a piece of my mind when I find him.

"You're quiet."

The statement caught me off guard and I nearly tripped on my own feet. It took me a spit second to compose myself and manage a frown. "I was just busy thinking…" I hummed as I glanced around. There were a lot less people, and Gon and Leorio weren't among those that were nearby. Where were they?

"About what?"

A huff escaped my lips. Kurapika didn't look like the type to stick his nose into people's businesses, but looks were apparently deceiving. "My goldfish," I blandly answered, looking his way. As I had expected, he seemed surprised.

"Your goldfish?" he echoed, a bit unsure.

I nodded. "Yes, my goldfish," I reaffirmed. "Is there a problem?"

Kurapika held my gaze for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No, none at all," he answered. "I just find it hard to believe that a simple goldfish would have you looking this depressed."

"For the record, Arvin was not a _simple goldfish_," I stated. "He might have been stupid, but he was my best friend. Don't tell me you didn't have a best friend when you were a kid." Something then changed in his expression and I immediately knew what and felt guilty I said what I had said. "Of course you did," I sighed. "I'm sorry. It was insensitive of me." Aw, I hated being the bad guy. I hated being the person that stirred up bad memories in people. It made me feel guilty.

"His name was Pairo," he quietly replied. "He saved my life once, but at the cost of his health. He couldn't remember what happened though, and I brought it upon myself to protect him and search for a doctor to treat him."

I never did like sad stories, but I didn't have the heart to stop the Kurta from talking. Sometimes, person just really needed to vent, some more than others – like me – while some, a lot less.

"That was the whole reason I decided to take the test," he continued. "Our clan had this series of challenges that a Kurta should overcome in order to be allowed to venture outside our village. I passed, thanks to Pairo, and I had set out to explore the outside world and find Pairo a doctor." My eyebrows pulled together in concern as his expression changed again. "But then the Phantom Troupe… They attacked the village and massacred my people, all for the sake of profit, all for the sake of the Scarlet Eyes."

In all honesty, I had never seen a pair of Scarlet Eyes, but I was really curious as to what they really looked like. From what I've heard, they were reminiscent to a blazing fire and that was what made it so precious. They said that the color was among the most beautiful in the world. Serena said it made her sick to think of people doing such a thing for money, and that I should be too.

"I swear… I will hunt down the Phantom Troupe and reclaim my people's eyes."

"That'd require a lot of work, Kurapika," I pointed out. "It's given that the Phantom Troupe aren't really the kind of people you'd want to mess with, but hunting down all those pairs of eyes… It'd take you a lifetime of work."

The blonde nodded. "I know, but I'm willing to risk anything, and everything, for my people."

Personally, I didn't like the sound of that, but I could tell just by looking that the Kurta was determined to see his plans through. "You'd do anything for your family, huh?" I whispered, mostly to myself, but there was no doubt Kurapika heard me.

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

I managed a small smile at the older teen. "Then you have my full support," I chirped, my grin widening at my own words. He didn't ask me for it and I didn't want to appear so full of myself, but I knew he was going to need all the help he could get. Kurapika's eyes grew wide, not expecting me to say such a thing. "I don't remember anything about my family, but Serena is the closest thing I have to a mother, and Aster, a brother. If anyone took them away from me…" I shook my head, not even wanting to entertain the possibility. "I don't know what I'd do…"

"So you're an orphan…" he murmured to himself and I tilted my head from side to side.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," I chuckled, finding it amusing how I echoed his own words. "But Serena told me my parents are out there, and that I'll find them one day. That's the reason my Aster took the Exam four years ago and it's partly the reason why I'm here now."

"And you believe her?"

"Of course I do," I hummed. "Besides, I have this gut feeling that I'd get to meet them, and my intuition is rarely, ever wrong."

Slowly, a smile appeared on Kurapika's face. "Then you have my full support, in finding your friend, and in finding your family."

A chuckle escaped my lips and I lightly elbowed the Kurta. "You're not half bad, Blondie, not bad at all." It was the blonde's turn to chuckle.

"You're not half bad either, Demina, not bad at all."


	6. Chapter 6

"_You're not half bad either, Demina, not bad at all."_

=oOo=

Numere Wetlands.

That was the name of the place we wound up in after several hours worth of running. I wasn't familiar with the name, nor was I familiar with the local flora and fauna. Not that I _should_ be, but it didn't hurt have some background knowledge. Thankfully, Satotz filled us in, and the swamp turned out to have very nasty inhabitants.

_Very_, nasty inhabitants.

It was such an important fact that I had to say that twice.

Anyway, as proof of its dangers, a Man-Faced Ape attempted to convince us that he was the real examiner and that Satotz was an impostor trying to get us all killed. Several were easily won over – ahem, Leorio, cough, cough – but Hisoka, of all people, cleared it up for everyone with three cards thrown towards both Satotz and the Ape. It was a tad bit uncalled for, but the rationale behind his actions was quite – as much as I hated to admit it – sound.

Of course, Satotz, the _real_ examiner, didn't appreciate having deadly, sharp projectiles being thrown his way and threatened to disqualify the redhead if he tried doing anything like that again. Because really, who would ever want to be attacked out of the blue? I knew I wouldn't, but Hisoka, maybe he liked the life-threatening spontaneity.

So this marathon that was the First Phase continued on through this demon-infested marsh and with the fog coming and going at random intervals, I wouldn't be too surprised if a lot of examinees lost their way, myself included. Not that I was going to let that happen. Nope. Na-ah. Not happening.

But life had its twisted way of going about things and I found myself skidding to a stop, my eyes wide and ever alert. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I looked around me and several of the applicants were already passing me by, determined to keep up with Satotz and the leading examinees. Some of them, I could see, armed and ready for anything, while some, not so much. They passed by as shadows through the fog and to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure if some of them were real.

Unconsciously, I took a step back. I didn't know why. I just did. There was just something hidden in this thick fog that had me retreating ever so slowly. Maybe it was my intuition, or maybe it was just my nerves acting up after hours of running through that tunnel, but I just couldn't take another step forward. The need to be able to protect myself became more and more profound and I grabbed onto my whip tightly.

A scream then tore through the air and I found myself frozen in place. The only time I began moving again was when I needed to protect myself from the crowd of applicants that were running away from whatever it was that roared behind them. All the while, I began to feel slightly light-headed, which wasn't very good at all.

Thankfully, I was at least aware of what was going on around me and I managed to move away when a large shadow loomed over me. The large foot of a turtle-like creature landed on empty, moist soil and it wasn't too happy with having missed its prey. On the good side, I avoided being squashed and on the bad side, the turtle-thing was mad and I was way dizzier than a few seconds ago, the sudden movement having shaken my brain a bit.

My sense of balance began to falter and I started alternating between stumbling back and stumbling forward. Another roar echoed not too far away from me, but I couldn't have cared less. This headache of mine was getting worse by the second and doubted I could get away from whatever mess this was.

"There you are!" a familiar voice exclaimed in relief as I felt a hand grab my arm and begin dragging me away.

"Leorio?" I mumbled, closing my eyes. Gods, this hurt.

"Yeah," he grunted. "You look horrible."

"Headache."

"Right now?"

I winced at how loud his voice was. "Yep."

Leorio. Greedy, perverted, short-tempered, hot-blooded. He was all those things, but he was nevertheless, a good man. Growing up in a poor town, he could only helplessly watch as his friend succumbed to a disease that was completely treatable, given that he had the money for the treatment. It was a sad story, and though I hated sad stories, this particular one explained why Leorio wanted money very badly. He wanted to become a doctor and treat people for free. Ambitious? Yes. Unreachable? No. It was a good dream, a very good dream indeed.

Leorio was going to be a very good doctor.

"Kurapika! I found her," Leorio called out and I forced my eyes open. Indeed, Blondie was nearby, fending off another of those oversized reptiles. "Come on. Let's get outta here."

As the to-be doctor said, we got out of that place with all those turtles. Leorio still had me by the arm, but I wasn't complaining. I'd have been long lost if Leorio hadn't found me. "Are you guys alright?" I wanted to answer no, but for the sake of having one thing less for the Kurta to worry about, I nodded. Apparently, he bought it. "We've lost sight of the front runners though."

"Which way should we go?" Suddenly, the throbbing in my head stopped as soon as a chill ran up my spine. I abruptly stopped from my running and consequently, I pulled Leorio back. "Oi!"

"Shh!" I hissed, pressing a finger to my lips. The boys looked at me curiously as I began to look around. What was that I was feeling? My eye darted from side to side. Where was it coming from? A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. "I can't tell where it is!"

"What is _it_ exactly?" Kurapika asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know either," I grunted. "It just feels real cold around here… That usually means something." Another frustrated sigh and I shook my head again. I honestly couldn't tell where it was coming from and it was getting annoying. "Just… Let's just keep moving. But keep your eyes peeled."

The Kurta eyed me for a few more seconds before he started running again. Leorio followed soon after him and I stayed right behind them. As we continued to run, the air continued to grow colder, but I really couldn't tell where it was coming from. It was like the whole swamp wanted to get us. More or less, that statement was true.

"Over there…" I looked up and followed Leorio's finger. An unfortunately familiar red-haired psychopath was there, standing in the middle of an armed crowd. They were the same people who were running behind us before things got screwed up. I could make out their words and they seemed to be talking about acting as Examiners before the group tried to attack Hisoka.

Keyword: _tried_

They didn't even stand a chance. With just one card, he took them all down. He didn't even break a sweat.

This was bad. Very, very bad. We needed to get out of here as soon as possible before the man turned on us. I tried to move my legs, but they suddenly felt like lead and they wouldn't even budge. Asshole legs.

"Well?" His voice sent another chill down my spine and it was only then that I found myself able to move. Way to go legs. You start functioning when we're already caught. "Care to participate in my little game of examiner?" The man started to slowly walk towards us and I felt the desperate need to run.

"Mina, Leorio." The two of us glanced at the blonde. "On my signal, we run in opposite directions. He is vastly more experienced in real combat. The three of us won't stand a chance against him. We cannot afford to squander time in a pointless fight!"

The wait was the worst fifteen seconds of my life. Several birds took off and a strong breeze blew by. Hisoka already had a card in hand and I was fairly sure Kurapika had lost his voice. Thankfully, he hadn't and as soon as he gave the signal, we bolted.

For a few seconds, I thought we were safe, but I came skidding to a stop when I heard Leorio's voice. It could have easily been my imagination, but my gut was telling me it was the real thing. What was he thinking?! He couldn't possibly have gone back to face him! That idiot! Cursing, I turned around and headed back, hoping I wouldn't be too late.

"Leorio!" My eyes grew wide and I ducked just before a card could dig into my head.

"Mina, stay back!"

"Like hell I would, you idiot!" I began to look for Hisoka, or Leorio, but the cards wouldn't end. They came coming at me through the fog and I narrowly avoided each and every one of them. Finally, I caught sight of Hisoka throwing another card and this time, I pulled out my whip and deflected the piece of paper.

"Oh? What do we have here?" the freaky redhead hummed, placing a hand on his hip and the other on his chin. "A pretty little butterfly lost in the swamp?"

Ignoring him, I began to scan the area, but I didn't let him leave my peripheral vision. "Where's Leorio?"

"Who? Oh, you mean the tall one?" Hisoka pointed a finger and I warily followed it. "He's right over there." My eyes grew wide when I took in the sight. It couldn't be… He couldn't have…

"Leorio!" I cried out as I made a run towards him, but in a blink of an eye, Hisoka appeared right in front of me. I took a step back just before my body slammed into his, but I lost my balance at the sudden shift in my movement and I landed unceremoniously on my ass. Anger taking over me, I didn't have the nerve anymore to be afraid as I glared at the man and tightened my grip around my whip. "What did you do?" I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Now, now. I assure you, he's not dead… yet."

=oOo=

"Too slow."

I widened my eyes at the voice behind me and quickly turned around to kick the man, but he disappeared. So far, he was barely attacking me, but that didn't mean I wasn't losing. I could keep up and avoid getting hit, but it was mostly the same for him as well. It was like he was just playing around with me and that idea really bugged me.

"What happened to your hand?"

"None of your business!" I grunted as I swung my whip. He easily dodged the attack and before I could prepare for another one, he closed the distance between us and pushed me into tree. It was just a simple push, but it had sent me skidding back several feet before I hit said tree. "What the-!"

For heaven's sake I couldn't even mumble a curse before he reached me.

"Beautiful, absolutely beautiful," he hummed, crossing his arms. "Quite a keeper."

"Gee, thanks," I grumbled sarcastically. Provoking him wasn't really the best idea, but I couldn't really do anything right now. I could try to escape, but I – as much as I hated to admit it – was too slow and I couldn't possibly leave Leorio like that. "That really made my day."

A creepy smile appeared on Hisoka's face as he pulled out a card out of nowhere and a chill ran down my spine. This was not going to end well. The surprisingly sharp card slowly neared my face and soon enough, I could feel its tip resting on my left temple. This was _really_ not going to end well. But I didn't look away. If ever I was going to die here – and hopefully that wouldn't be the case – I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me cower in fear.

"What a lovely expression you have on, Mina-chan."

"Oh, bite me," I snapped.

The grin on his face widened. "Believe me. I'd love to."

Now that was just disgusting.

The man slowly began to drag the card down my face and it began to sting along the path it took. I winced from time to time, but l kept a steady glare on him. Just as it was about to reach my jaw, the card disappeared.

I watched with wide eyes as a fishing rod's red floater-thing came out of nowhere and landed a nice blow to Hisoka's cheek. Gon. Where did he come from? I took advantage of the man's surprise, picked up my whip and bolted, heading towards Leorio's unconscious body. I grabbed an arm and swung it over my shoulders and turned.

"Gon, come on!" I shouted, but the boy couldn't move out of fear as Hisoka made his way to him. Grunting, I dropped Leorio back down and tried to attack, but a card was sent flying towards me and for a moment, I thought it had severed something important. In reality, I was luckier than that and the card just tore through my sweater's collar and pinned me to the nearest tree. I tried to get free, but the piece of paper was too deep into the bark to pull out and too far gone into my sweater to just simply tear it off without my knife.

All I could do was watch as Gon began to attack Hisoka, and utterly failing each time. Hisoka wasn't even trying and Gon still couldn't hit him. And then that creepy smile appeared on the man's face again and I began to really fear for him. "Gon!" I shrieked, but I was already too late. The redhead had already grabbed him by the throat. "Let him go!"

To my surprise, he actually did after a few seconds of creepy staring and he crouched down to the boy's level. "I won't kill your friend," he said. "He passed. Yes, you and Mina-chan pass, as well. Grow up and become fine Hunters."

He was… sparing us?

Hisoka answered his beeping communicator and got up. "It's always good to have friends," he stated as he made his way towards Leorio and me and picked up the unconscious to-be doctor. "You can find your own way back, yes?" The question was for Gon and the kid nodded in reply. "That's a good boy." He then reached out towards me. I watched warily as he unpinned me from the tree and handed me the card. "Go ahead, take it. Consider it as a gift."

Hesitantly, I took it from him and flipped it over. It was the Queen of Spades. A depressing card if I ever did see one.

"See you around, Mina-chan," he sang before leaving Gon and I in the clearing.

It was only when my nerves were finally at ease that I rushed to the kid's side, pocketing the card. "Gon, are you alright?" I worriedly asked as I got him onto his feet and checked for any wounds. "You look alright, but-" I was meaning to say 'but you're shaking, that means you're not' but Kurapika's voice echoed in the fog and cut me off.

"We're right here!" I yelled, waving a hand. "We're fine… mostly." I turned back to Gon and took a look at his neck. There didn't seem to be any damage and he was breathing fine. A bit shaky, but fine. Soon enough, Kurapika came into view and Gon and I had somewhat recovered by the time he reached us.

"Are you guys alright?" the Kurta asked, his eyes shifting between the two of us. "Mina, what happened to your face? More importantly, where's Leorio?"

I couldn't help but frown. "Don't put it that way," I grumbled as I reached up at the thin, long wound. It was moist. There was blood. How lovely.

"Here. Let me take a look," Blondie offered and I couldn't really stop him since his hands were already on my face by then.

Gently, he pushed my bangs back with one hand and held my chin with the other, tilting my head a bit. I couldn't help but lean away from his touch. I wasn't really used to people touching my face, not as gently as he did, and the way he did, it made me feel funny. Funny was something I didn't like right now.

"It doesn't look too bad. At least it won't leave a scar." He pulled something out from his bag, a clean piece of cloth, and began to wipe most of the blood and dirt away.

"I can handle it," I grumbled, reaching for the cloth, but he moved it away at the last minute. "Fine. You do it then. Anyway, Hisoka took Leorio away, probably to the next Exam Site."

The Kurta didn't seem to buy it at first. Couldn't really blame him though. Our friend was with a psychopath. Who _wouldn't_ be worried? But soon enough, Kurapika learned to deal with that fact. "Then we better head there ourselves," he sighed as he finally let go of my chin and handed me the piece of cloth. I stuck out my tongue at him and applied pressure on my wound.

Him and his chivalrous streak.

"But I don't see how that's possible anymore. We've completely lost track of everyone."

"Not completely," Gon stated. We both turned to him. "I know the way. Follow me." The boy quickly gathered his things and went off. I stowed away my whip and Kurapika and I ran after him. Thankfully, the fog was beginning to disappear again as we continued to run. "This way!" he exclaimed as we took a sharp right.

"You can really tell?" Kurapika asked.

Gon nodded. "Leorio's cologne is very unique. I can smell him from a few kilometers away." For the most part, the run to the site of the Second Phase went quietly, but I was very concerned of Gon and his brush Hisoka. Now that my fear had subsided and I was able to think clearly, I realized the possible interest Hisoka had in the boy.

Like Blondie had said, people with special talents were drawn to those with unique gifts. Hopefully, that possible interest wouldn't get Gon in trouble.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hopefully, that possible interest wouldn't get Gon in trouble._

=oOo=

As Hisoka promised, we found Leorio safe and sound in front of the gates of the Second Phase site. Despite the swollen cheek he was now sporting, he was uninjured and pretty much remembered nothing of what happened and we left it at that. After all, Leorio could start raging and ranting again.

"Gon." My eyebrows rose at the familiar voice and we all turned.

"Killua!" the boy in green cheerily exclaimed as he ran up to meet his friend. Despite having just met, the two had already become tight. Well, it wasn't really that surprising, seeing as the two were practically the same. They were both kids that had an inexhaustible reserve of energy. That was my fancy way of saying they were hyper.

Kids.

"I can't believe you actually got here…" the white-haired boy stated. "I thought you were done for."

"I just tracked Leorio's cologne."

"Cologne?" Killua echoed, real surprised. "You really _are _weird."

There was this funny thing about Killua though, and I couldn't help but notice it. He was particularly curious about Gon. Not the Hisoka kind of curious – thank god – but it was more of a… I dunno, like a little kid with a new toy? I inwardly winced at that thought. It wasn't really the most considerate of my analyses, but he really did like the kid from Whale Island.

For the Second Phase, Buhara and Menchi, two Gourmet Hunters, decided to have us prepare a dish out of any species of pig found within Biska Forest. But mind you, it wasn't that easy. It took us some time to find the things, and when we did, we discovered they were carnivores. _Carnivores_. For the love of god, they were gnawing on bones. _Bones_.

Now honestly, I knew pigs could eat anything, but really?

But a little bit of thinking on Gon's part made the whole pig-hunting a lot easier and we were all dragging along oversized boars back to the site in no time. Everyone began to cook and it didn't take long for people to start presenting their dishes.

"No one's passed yet…"

"And Menchi hasn't even taken a single bite…"

I looked up from my station at the boys' words. True, people weren't reaching Menchi's standards but really, they were all doing the same thing. Roasting the entire pig. Now I was no cooking genius, but hey, I knew how to cook something other than roasted pork. And while the guys were trying to figure out what to do, I was busying myself with my dish.

But it was a painful punch to the face when Menchi suddenly announced no one passed the phase. People around me were beginning to act violently, but instead of going in there and joining the riot – as much as I would've liked that, I would never, in my craziest dreams, compromise my becoming a Hunter – I pushed myself onto the counter and watched Menchi give us examinees an earful.

She had a point, you know.

"That said, it would be excessive to fail every single applicant," a speaker boomed all of a sudden. A blimp came out of nowhere and an eyebrow of mine went up at the Hunter Association's insignia on it. It must've been someone very important since Menchi had a concerned look on her face when I turned her way.

An old man then jumped off of the airship and landed safely on the ground, creating a crater in the process. Menchi stated that the geezer was the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Chairman Netero. He really didn't look much, but if the feeling in my stomach was anything to go on, then he was really something.

After a short discussion between Menchi and the Chariman, it was decided that there was going to be a redo of the Second Phase. This time, we had to make boiled eggs. We were then asked to board the airship and we were taken to Mt. Split-in-Half. When my eyes finally caught a glimpse of said mountain, I couldn't help but slap my forehead once again. Who the hell named these places? Sure, sure. They were appropriate and shit, but wasn't this going a little overboard?

This time, the task was to get an egg of a Spider-Eagle and boil it. It sounded real simple, but the eggs were hanging from the webs the beasts had made in between the two halves of the mountain. Menchi demonstrated how to obtain the eggs and her method was amusing and outrageous to say the least.

Curious, I inched closer to the edge. "That looks fun!" Killua exclaimed and I couldn't have agreed more. Cliff diving. Was always curious what falling into certain death felt like. The five of us wasted no time in jumping off and grabbing onto a web. Leorio wanted to go as soon as possible, but Gon stopped him before he jumped to his death.

"So alls we gotta do is wait, right?" I asked. Gon and Killua nodded, causing me to sigh. "This is gonna get real boring, real soon."

"You're dangling hundreds of feet in the air, holding onto a thin strand of web," Leorio pointed out as a matter-of-factly. "If that isn't enough, you're supposed to drop down, try to grab an egg and ride a strong gust of wind back up. What more are you asking for?"

My eyes grew wide as I heard something snap and I quickly looked around. "Maybe a shorter waiting time?" I stated, realizing how all the applicants were holding onto the web. "At this rate, the web will give way and we'll all die."

"Gon, not yet?" Killua asked. The kid remained silent. A few wouldn't risk waiting and let go too soon, falling to their deaths.

"It's gonna snap!" Leorio exclaimed.

"Now!" he said as all of us let go. We all managed to grab an egg and were carried back up by the strong winds. Once boiled, the eggs tasted delicious and mine was finished before I even knew it.

Hey, I was a growing girl and I knew how to appreciate good food.

When everyone had their fill, we were asked to get back on the airship, this time bound for the next exam site. After a few words from the Chairman, he allowed us to do as we pleased in his airship and even recommended we get some rest. That said, Gon and Killua went off to do some exploring and I couldn't help but smile at how hyper they still were despite everything we did for the day.

"How can they have so much energy?" Leorio huffed, now sporting a bandage on his face that looked a lot like the one I had. "I'm hitting the sack…"

My smile grew wider and I crossed my arms. "It's because they're kids and you're old that you can't understand," I chuckled, taking a step back before Leorio could get me in a head lock. "I can't believe you'd hit a girl, Leorio," I gasped in fake horror, complete with covering my mouth with my good hand.

"Why you little-" The older man made to grab me by my ponytail, but I easily ducked under his arm and reached out for his face, flicking his bandaged cheek, hard. I watched as his eyes grew wide and stumbled back due to the pain. "That was dirty!"

"Maybe," I hummed, tilting my head from side to side. As I did so, my eyes caught sight of someone I never thought would've made it this far, and that someone was currently watching us with a look on his face that spelled trouble. "But there are people here who play dirtier than me."

Leorio blinked and dropped the fist he had in the air. "Huh?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." I then turned to the Kurta, who looked like he had the world on his shoulders. But then again, he always looked like that. "What's up, Blondie?"

"I was just wondering about the number of phases we have left," he quietly replied, closing his eyes. I raised an eyebrow. He had a point and none of the examiners so far had said anything regarding the number of phases we had to go through.

"On average, there are five to six phases," a man's familiar voice answered and I inwardly groaned. Tonpa. I really was surprised he was still around. I had thought he would've dropped out at the swamp.

"Which means we still have three or four to go," Leorio grumbled.

Kurapika sighed. "All the more reason to get some rest." We then made to leave, but Tonpa just had to open his mouth again, spouting some nonsense about the possibility of the Third Phase being arranged to occur on the airship. It was plausible, but very unlikely, unlikely enough to shrug off the man's warning, not that he was credible enough in the first place.

Eventually, we chanced upon an empty room and the two boys began to settle down. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop my eyes from darting from side to side. No windows, one door, four walls. Not really the most favorable of conditions. "Anything wrong, Mina?"

I shook my head, answering Leorio's question. "Nah, everything's fine," I hummed as I made my way over to the shelves to get some blankets. I tossed one towards Leorio and another towards Kurapika. I grabbed another for myself and slipped off the black backpack I had been carrying around since the start of this whole thing. "Keep an eye on this for me, will ya?" I huffed, dropping the thing on the floor beside the blonde before heading for the door, blanket in tow.

"Where are you going?" Leorio asked.

I blinked at the question. It should have been obvious where I was going. "Outside," I simply answered, shooting the to-be doctor a confused look who in turn, frowned.

"I mean, why?"

And yet another question whose answer should've been painfully obvious. "If you haven't noticed, I don't do well in closed spaces," I pointed out, gesturing to the room we were currently in. "And this is a perfect example of a closed space. I'll be staying outside and hopefully get some rest." I turned away and waved my good hand. "Good night boys. See you in the morning."

=oOo=

Poke.

Poke. Poke.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

I groaned and blindly swatted away the offending finger that was poking my arm. "Five more minutes, Serena…" The arm poking continued. There were really just some days that I hated the woman for her persistence and I guessed this was one of them. "Seresa…" I whined as I opened my eyes and came face to face with large, blue ones.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

I blinked several times before my brain managed process everything and out of instinct, I pushed myself away from the uncomfortably close face. Unfortunately, I ended up sliding off of the bench I had been sitting on and landed on the mean, cold floor on my back.

"Goddamit, Killua," I hissed as I sat right back up, several parts of my body aching. "Is that how you normally wake people up?" A groan escaped my lips as I got onto my feet. I felt so old right now.

The white-haired kid shrugged. "What're you doing out here, Onee-chan?" I flinched. He had somehow gotten into this habit of calling me that and though it was adorable in some cases, right now was not one of them.

I ran a hand over my face before glancing out the window. It was still dark. Damn this boy for cutting my sleep short. It was rare enough for me to get a peaceful night's rest and he just had to go and wake me up from it. "Well, I _was_ sleeping," I muttered. I blinked when a thought then crossed my mind. "What are _you_ doing out here? Shouldn't you kids be getting some sleep too? What aren't you wearing your shirt?" And then I noticed another thing. "Is that _blood_?"

Killua frowned as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm starting to regret waking you up," he murmured beneath his breath, but I caught every single word of it.

"Well?"

"I was just blowing off some steam," he finally replied, his usual passive expression back on his face. "The Chairman challenged Gon and me to a game and we were up all night trying to beat him." A scowl then appeared on his face and he really looked aggravated. "I got annoyed so I left first."

"And the blood?"

"I was blowing off steam," he repeated.

I raised an eyebrow at his answer. I was curious as to what his version of 'blowing off steam' was, but I could tell that he wasn't going to talk about it. "Alright," I sighed with a shrug before I sat back down on my bench. Yes, it was mine now. I bent over to pick up my blanket that had fallen to the floor and pulled it over my shoulders. "If you don't need anything, I'm gonna go back to sleep."

"Why are you even sleeping here for? Aren't Kurapika and the old man inside a room somewhere?" he asked.

"It's gotten pretty crowded in there," I boredly stated as I stared out the window. What time was it anyway? "Are you going to go away anytime soon because really, I wanna go back to sleep?"

Killua shrugged. "Alright. See ya in the morning," he hummed, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets before walking away.

"Good night," I chirped.

He was a mysterious kid, that one. Killua. As far as I could tell, he and Gon were getting along real well and were a consistent source of our amusement. But of course, I couldn't completely ignore the odd feeling I got from him just now, when he mentioned whatever game they were playing with the Chairman. Since I first saw him, I got this vibe that he was different. It wasn't like the bloodlust I got off of Hisoka, but there was seriously something there. Something cold.

Sighing, I pushed the thought to the back of my head. There was no use in losing any sleep over it. Killua was a friend, and there was no changing that fact either.

=oOo=

"Mina… Mina."

Goddamn it. Why did people always feel the need to wake me up? Was it really that hard to give me a decent night's sleep? Was it really that fun to shake my shoulder or poke my arm? "Killua, I swear…" I began grumbling as I pushed myself off of the window sill I had been resting my head on for the second time. "If you poke me one more time…" Finally, I got around prying my eyes open, only to stare into narrow brown ones behind a pair of glasses.

"Good morning."

Despite the cheery tone behind Leorio's voice, I couldn't help but let out a small shriek of surprise and move away at how close his face was. Honestly, what was wrong with these people? Haven't they heard of personal space? Again, I ended up moving too far, fell off and landed on my back. Again. Gods. I could so feel that this was going to be a bad day. A _very_ bad day indeed.

My blanket somehow managed to cover my face when I fell and I had to pull it away. When I did, I saw yet _another_ set of brown eyes watching me. "Not a single word, Kurapika," I warned in a dark voice. "Not a single word." Grunting, I pushed myself up and remained seated on the floor while I began poking around my back. It was hurting. _Again._ And my neck was too. I glanced at the window. The sun was just about up.

A hand appeared before my face and judging by the sleeve, it was Kurapika's. I wordlessly took it and I felt myself being pulled up. "Thanks," I half-murmured, half-yawned, if ever that was possible. "What time is it?"

"It's a little past six," the blonde answered.

"We were gonna grab something to eat and thought maybe you'd want some," Leorio explained.

I shrugged. "Yeah, sure…" I hummed, glancing around. "What about Gon and Killua?"

"We haven't seen them yet." The bespectacled man blinked. "Oh, right. Here you go." I raised my eyebrows just before he handed me my backpack. I relieved him of the black thing and slipped it onto my shoulders. We then set off to fill our stomachs.

=oOo=

It didn't take long before we landed and eventually found Gon and Killua. Beans alighted with us and began to explain this phase's instructions. All we needed to do was reach the bottom of Trick Tower alive, within seventy-two hours. After that, Beans left us to our own devices.

"Are we supposed to climb down?" Leorio asked as all five of us looked over the edge. It was a real long way down.

"That would be suicide…" Kurapika stated.

Someone chuckled behind us. It was #86. He pushed us to the side and he began to climb down along the tower's wall. He was progressing real quick when flying creatures came by and snatched him. Well, so much for climbing down. And he was doing so well too.

We backed away from the ledge and began to look for another way down, and it didn't take too long before Gon and Killua found something and called us over.

Those boys. They really were special.

Gon pointed out five trapdoors, but he and Kurapika found it real suspicious that they were so close to each other. Still, we decided to pick a door and pray that we didn't spring some sort of trap.

"Let's go on the count of three," Leorio said as we stepped into position.

"I guess this is goodbye for now."

I nodded at Gon's words as I crossed my arms. It was only gonna be three days, but I was going to miss these fools.

"We'll meet up at the tower's base."

"Yep," I chirped, a wide smile still on my face despite the possibility that we wouldn't see each other for a few days – or if worst came to worst, ever. "No backing out now."

Killua chuckled. "Let's go."

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"


	8. Chapter 8

"_Three!"_

=oOo=

If there was any, single word I could use to define the whole situation, then it was anti-climactic. After having said our goodbyes, we ended up dropping into the same room. Though it was nice to know we'd be staying together a little bit longer, it was just kinda silly that we got worked up over nothing.

"That was a rather brief farewell," Kurapika hummed as he began to pat the dust out of his clothes.

"So all of the doors led to the same room…"

My eyes caught sight of the glowing screen and began to read the words. Apparently, we needed to follow the will of the majority. "Majority?" I echoed out loud. "Does the mean we're voting or something?"

A speaker then buzzed to life at that point. _"That is correct!"_ a man on the other end stated. _"My name is Lippo. I am the prison warden here and the examiner for the Third Phase. Of the multiple paths set up, you five have chosen the Path of the Majority Rule. If you plan on passing this phase, then cooperation between the five of you will be important. Please put on the stopwatches and you may begin. I wish you the best of luck!"_

After that, the speaker fell silent.

Prison? Voting? Majority Rule?

I didn't like it one bit.

Like Lippo instructed, we all put on the watches and as soon as we did, a door revealed itself, prompting us to vote whether or not to open the door. Of course, we all voted to open the door. As soon as we got out though, we had to make another decision. We found ourselves at a fork. We had to choose whether we go left, or we go right.

My gut told me to go right, so I pressed 'O'. Not surprisingly, someone chose to go left.

"Huh? Why would you choose to go right?" Leorio blurted out and it became painfully obvious that he was one of the two who pressed 'X'. And since I chose to go right, then it was most likely Gon picked left too. "Normally, you should go left…"

"That is true," Kurapika stated, nodding, while the bars blocking the path to the right began to go up. "Studies have indicated that people who are lost or stuck at first unconsciously tend to go left."

Killua raised a finger. "I've heard that before too."

"Yep, me too," I hummed. "And since the examiners know people usually go left, it's logical to assume that they made the left path more difficult. That's why they chose right."

"They?" Gon echoed and I nodded. From the corner of my eye, I could see the blonde and the white-haired kid go on without us. How rude. But it wasn't like they'd get anywhere without the rest of us. "What did you pick, Mina?"

"Me? I chose right," I replied. "I always go with my gut and my gut told me to go right, so I chose right." With that, I made to go after the other two boys and though it was expected for our decisions to vary, I didn't expect Leorio to be so vocal about it.

Not long after that, we found ourselves in a very large room with a platform in the middle which was surrounded by a very nasty drop.

"Look, over there." I followed Killua's instruction and found several robed people on the other side of the room. I had a very bad feeling about this.

Lippo's voice then resounded, explaining the situation, and to sum it all up, it was a round-robin tournament. Best out of five and if we won, we got to move on. If we lose, then we fail, or die, depending on what was agreed upon since anything goes for the matches. I stole a glance at our group. The odds looked good enough.

That is, until the first competitor from the other side presented himself.

He was a mean-looking man. Tall, bald, scar-ridden, not to mention buff. If his build was anything to go by, then it was safe to assume he'd want a fight. I looked around again. If this was going to be a fight, we all had decent chances.

Sighing, I slipped off my bag and let it drop to the floor, catching everyone's attention. "Ladies first," 'I hummed.

"What?!" the boys – except Killua – exclaimed.

"Mina, you know what's going to happen, right?" the white-haired boy asked, eyeing me.

I tilted my head from side to side. "I've considered the possibilities," I quietly admitted. "Don't worry. If it gets too hairy, I'll surrender."

"No, you won't," Kurapika stated. "You're too stubborn for that."

A huff escaped my lips and I shot a look at the blonde. "Contrary to popular belief, I _do_ value my life. Besides, it's best that I get out off the way as soon as possible. I don't do well with stress." I shrugged. Really, if I ended up having to break a tie, I wouldn't be able to think clearly. "I'll be back in one piece. Wish me luck," I chirped before going down the walkway that had appeared. At the platform, my opponent and I finally came face to face and apparently, he looked a lot more intimidating, especially with that smug look on his face that I so dearly wanted to rip off because I knew exactly what he was thinking off.

His next words only confirmed my suspicions. "I'll give you and your companions one more chance to think this over, little girl," he said in that rough voice of his.

"Why? Afraid I'll mop the floor with ya?" I bluntly asked, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow. Again, I shouldn't be provoking anyone right now, but it was a habit I couldn't quite break.

In response, the man chuckled. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he laughed as he placed his hands on his hips in confidence. "I propose a death match." I inwardly flinched. This was so not going to end well. Far behind me, I could hear my friends' startled gasps, while the man in front of me just simply grinned. "Do you accept?"

I scowled. "Sure," I grunted. In the background, I could vaguely make out Leorio calling me insane. Well, maybe he was right. "Anything you'd like to add?"

He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No. I'd like to make this as fair to you as possible and let you use your weapon."

Now I was getting _real_ annoyed.

"I see…" I murmured. "Then can I request something from you, if you don't mind?" The man raised an eyebrow, but nodded nevertheless. "What's your name and what're you in here for?"

"My name's Bendot," he answered. "I'm serving one hundred and ninety-nine years for robbery… and murder." Well that put things into perspective. I was dealing with a pro and that made things a lot harder. And with their objective to delay us as much as possible, I'd be in a world of pain if I wasn't careful. "Anything else, girl?"

I shook my head and unhooked my whip. "I'm good."

"Then let the fight begin!"

Without missing a single beat, Bendot lunged at me with a hand pulled back. I narrowed my eyes and moved out of the way, rounding behind him. I lashed my whip at him, but he had expected the attack and managed to grab hold of the end before my weapon could hit him. Grunting, I flicked my wrist and the leathery material wrapped around forearm. With a strong jerk, Bendot lost his balance and came stumbling towards me. I met him head on with my left fist and upon contact, I felt a sharp pain run up my arm.

A curse left my lips as I untangled my weapon from my opponent and jumped back. It hurt. It really, really hurt, but I couldn't afford to show any sign of weakness right now. Not in front of a man that was out to kill me. Speaking of Bendot, he was now sporting a rather nasty bruise on his cheek. He better be. I didn't hold back on that one and with the pain I was in right now, it should be worth it.

"Mina!" It was Kurapika's voice and I could definitely tell he was worried.

"I'm fine!" I exclaimed. "So shut your mouth. I'm concentrating!"

My eyes grew wide as he came at me again, this time, faster. I managed to dodge his fist again, but I hadn't anticipated his next move. He sharply pulled back his elbow and landed a solid blow on my right shoulder. The force behind it was enough to send me stumbling back a few feet and before I could even steady myself, he was already right in front of me.

This was bad, very bad. I had thought that since he was a lot bigger and heavier than me, I'd naturally have the advantage because of my speed and agility, but as it turned out, he was just as quick on his feet.

I decided to drop to the floor at the last moment and swung my left leg across, colliding with his right shin. He growled in pain and I took advantage of the momentary distraction to get behind him and wrap my whip around his neck. Just a few minutes and a bit of pressure would end it. Death through asphyxiation. No blood. No mess. And hopefully, no guilt.

He's a murderer, Demina. You shouldn't feel guilty.

A shriek of surprise then escaped my lips as I found myself being tossed over his head. I ended up with my back against the floor, landing with much more force than necessary and with the air knocked out of my lungs. I struggled to catch my breath as I rolled over and away from the foot that would have landed on my stomach. Before I could make a run for it, Bendot grabbed me by my collar and dragged me back to him.

Bendot picked me up quite easily and I soon found my feet dangling a few inches off of the floor, large, rough hands wrapped around my neck. As each second passed, it was getting harder and harder to breathe and I was getting more and more desperate. I should really be keeping my cool, but there were spots floating right before my eyes and that was not a good sign, not a good sign at all. Aside from that, I could really feel the walls of my windpipe rub against each other and that was not a good feeling either.

"Mina!" I heard someone call out above the sound of blood rushing by my ears. I glanced at the group of people behind me and I could vaguely make out Leorio and Killua pulling back a struggling Kurta. "You have to surrender!"

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one with the clamped down voice box.

But I truly appreciated the idea that he cared and it made me feel bad that I was worrying him so much.

That happy idea, however, was cut short when the convict continued to tighten his grip, and it really got to the point that I couldn't tolerate the pain anymore. A scream wanted to leave my lips, but I couldn't. I just couldn't with the man choking me. My brain was crying out for oxygen and my lungs were burning for it. I could vaguely feel something warm run down my cheeks and it was only then I realized I was crying.

This couldn't be the end, could it? Was dying supposed to be like this? Parts of my body began to grow cold and my head began to hurt as I continued to frantically claw at Bendot's arms and hands. But my efforts were in vain and his grip around my neck remained firm.

This was a stupid decision, going first. Leorio was right. I _was_ insane. Why did I even volunteer? What kind of demon had possessed me? I was smarter than that, I really was, but somehow, by some stroke of stupidity, I was in this mess, facing death.

No, Bendot wasn't gonna kill me just yet. He was going to take his time so we could all fail. I mean, Kurapika, Gon, Killua and Leorio were going to fail. I was going to die. At least they'd get to take the Hunter Exam again next year. They'd have another shot at getting to do what they wanted to do. I won't.

I won't get to see Aster again. I won't get to see Serena happy again. I won't get to find my parents. I won't get to ask them all my questions. I won't get to have my family back.

A heartbeat later, I realized I didn't want that. Geez, since when did I become such a pessimist? If the guys back home saw me giving up like this, then they'd kill me themselves.

With renewed energy, I grabbed onto Bendot's hands and dug my nails as deep into his skin as I could. His grip loosened for a moment and I managed to get even a little amount of air in. I continued to rake my nails across his hands and surprisingly, I felt something warm coat my fingers. I forced my previously closed eyes open and saw the tips of my fingers glowing a faint blue. If I could only gasp, I would've, but I couldn't, so I didn't.

Slowly, the blue glow began to wrap Bendot's arms like thread around a spool until it almost covered his entire torso. I had seriously no clue what was going on as my eyes darted from those thin blue filaments to Bendot's face. He was ignoring the blue things. My eyes then grew wide as blood began to ooze from where the filaments were and it was only then did Bendot notice what was going on.

"What the-?!"

He immediately let me go and began clawing at himself, and I ended up a wheezing mess on the ground, but I didn't let my eyes leave him. Those blue things were still on him, still wrapping around his body and drawing out blood, and all of those strings were connected to my hands.

And then I felt something connect at the back of my mind.

I've seen this before and I remembered what would happen next.

I didn't like what would happen next.

More and more blood began to seep through those threads as they continued to dig deeper into his skin. No, no, no, no, no. No. This was not happening. I needed to stop this. He was going to die. He needed to, if I wanted to win, but I didn't want him to die _that_ way. But what was _I_ supposed to do? I didn't even _understand_ what was going on, let alone control it.

"Mina, just surrender already!" I vaguely heard Leorio call out and I couldn't help but wonder. Why would they want me to surrender when I was already on the verge of winning?

I didn't have to think for long though. I heard – and felt – the tension on those glowing blue strings increase and Bendot let out a blood-curdling scream that was all too similar to the ones I've heard in my dreams. Said scream was then followed by an insane amount of blood raining down on me. It took me a few moments of wide-eyed shock for my brain to register what had happened.

Bendot had been shredded into over a hundred pieces, bone, muscle and all.

And I won.

An eerie silence fell over the whole room and I just sat there, staring at the large pool of blood and torn up flesh. I was never really disgusted by the gruesome, the morbid and the gore, but this was just… Aside from the obvious overkill, it was all just _too_ familiar. It was so familiar that it had my blood running cold as I considered all the possible scenarios that would result to me being so used to these kinds of things.

The answers I came up with were not the answers I was hoping for.

But it all just made too much sense to ignore. The shadows and screaming I had been enduring for the past nine years, had they actually been real? Had my dreams of people blowing up into a mess of blood actually happened? Had I actually killed all those people?

Well, I definitely had the _means_ to do something like that, if what just happened right now was any proof.

But why? Why would I do such a thing? Why would I end someone's life so easily, and so brutally? What have I done? Who was I?

My thoughts came to screeching halt when a faint beep echoed all around the large room and I slowly turned my head. A yellow number 1 was glowing on the wall above where the boys were.

The boys.

My gaze fell to the four boys staring back at me, worried looks on their faces, and it occurred to me that we were still in the middle of the Third Phase and that I needed to push these thoughts away for the meantime. I'd have to deal with them next time, when I was a lot less out of it and a lot more lucid. I was taking up time by staying here, time I shouldn't be wasting, so I took a deep, shaky breath and managed to get back on my feet. Oddly enough, I was more stable than I thought. Avoiding the pool of blood, I made my way over to my whip and picked it up before making my way back to the others.

When I got back, no one said anything for a few moments. I could feel their eyes on me, but I couldn't meet them. Not yet. I wasn't ready yet. I wasn't ready to explain what had happened, to share my thoughts, to tell them everything I was feeling, but there was this mounting feeling on my chest and it hurt. It hurt _real_ bad, and I wasn't too sure if I could hold it in for much longer.

"Mina… are you okay?" Leorio quietly asked. If he meant by any physical injuries, then I was, so I numbly nodded my head. But if he meant I was alright as a whole, then the answer was no. "Do you hurt anywhere?" I blinked at that notion and I clenched my left hand. It didn't hurt. I poked my right shoulder and rubbed my neck and both of them felt perfectly fine too, so I shook my head.

With that, I shuffled over to my bag and began to sift through my belongings. I wasn't really thinking over what I was doing and it felt like my whole body was just on autopilot. I was careful, though, to not stain my things with blood that covered me and I finally managed to find what I was looking for. A fresh towel. Towel in hand, I dropped myself onto the floor and began wiping off the red liquid on my skin.

In the background, I could make out my friends' worried voices. They were trying to be hush about it, but my ears were sharp and I could hear every single word they said.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Gon.

"Can anyone tell me just what _exactly_ happened out there?" Leorio.

"From what I saw, the guy just exploded." Killua.

"No one _just_ explodes, kid." Leorio.

"But that's what I saw too. He was whole one second and then…" Gon.

"We should just leave her alone. I guess it was her first time killing someone, but she'll get over it." Killua.

"I dunno… I've never seen her like this." Gon.

"But we can't really do anything, Gon… What do you think, Kurapika?" Leorio. There was then a brief pause before I heard footsteps coming towards me. "Kurapika?"

I blinked at the sound of the Kurta's name just as the blonde crouched down to my level. "Do you have any spare clothes?" I blinked again. Clothes? I nodded. Rummaging through my belongings ensued and though I should be pretty pissed about it, I just didn't have it in me. I just felt so empty right now. Soon enough, Kurapika handed me a fresh sweater that was oddly identical to the one I had on, sans the blood. "You should change." I nodded again, dropped my towel and took my shirt from him. "We'll turn around to give you some privacy."

They did exactly what he said and I lifted off my dirty, orange sweater, leaving me with the black undershirt I always wore underneath. Fortunately, this one wasn't stained and I just slipped the new shirt on. As soon as I was decent, I reached over to the Kurta and tugged on his sleeve. Kurapika turned around and gave me a once over.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I paused for a moment before I shook my head. I didn't want to worry the blonde, but I couldn't force myself to lie to him. It just felt wrong. It was then that we all heard the walkway ease out. Another match was going to start and it effectively grabbed my attention. A pale, skinny man walked onto the platform and though I could tell he was unnerved by the mess I made, he still had an easy-going smile plastered on his face. "Looks like we'll have to send out someone already." I quietly nodded.

"He doesn't look strong," I heard Killua point out.

Gon raised a hand. "I'll go."

"Are you sure about this?" Leorio asked, a bit of worry still on his voice. "We don't know what he's up to." The boy in green nodded. The older teen sighed and began scratching the back of his head. "Well, it's not like we'd be able to find out anyway."

"Alright!" Gon exclaimed. "I'm off!"

Kurapika made to get up and watch, but I quickly clutched onto his sleeve. I met his confused gaze and at that point, I couldn't hold everything in anymore. My eyes began to sting and my vision turned blurry as I stubbornly tried to fight back my tears and failing miserably. "Please… Please stay with me."


	9. Chapter 9

_A bit of fair warning. This may appear somewhat rushed and since school starts tomorrow, updates may become farther apart. But I'm so not going to abandon this fic._

* * *

"_Please… Please stay with me."_

=oOo=

Demina.

That was my name. I was sixteen years old. Seven of those sixteen were lost to me, and the remaining nine were a whirlwind of memories, emotions and experiences. In those nine years, I learned to accept whatever life threw at me and to get right back up when I stumbled down.

But this time around, life threw something very hard and I found it hard get back up.

As it turned out, those lost seven years were not as pleasant and simple as I had wanted them to be. The life I had been living up until now seemed to have been in stark contrast with the life I had forgotten. I wasn't completely sure though, since there were still holes in my memory, but the dreams I had been having since I was a kid were clearer. Now, they felt too real to simply just be something my imagination created.

And it scared me.

There were several things I could name that scared me, but to be honest, this – well, whatever _this_ is – was by far the most terrifying thing I had ever had to face.

What if all the things I saw _were_ part of my past? What if I really _was_ a murderer? What would I do then? What if my parents had really wanted to get rid of me? What if they had abandoned me because I was some bloodthirsty demon they couldn't control? What if I got my memories back and I return to my old habits?

I didn't want that, but looking for my parents also meant I'd get to find out who I really was. And if who I really was, was a killer, then it had me doubting on whether or not I should find them. But I _really_ wanted to see them again, I really did. I'd be getting my family back, but would it really be worth it in the end?

I was tad bit bitter when the answer echoed within my mind.

_Of course it would be. Anything for family, right?_

"Demina, calm down," I heard Kurapika say and I took several deep breaths to try and ease my nerves, wiping away my own tears in the process. He had stayed for my sake and was seated on the floor right in front of me. He was watching me carefully and I could tell he was ready to stop me if ever I decided to do anything crazy.

Leorio and Killua were farther away, but nevertheless, they were still listening in out of concern. Most of their attention, however, was still on Gon's match. I couldn't hear what the boy and that convict were talking about, but I knew Gon was smart enough to not end up like me.

Another deep breath later and I finally got myself to stop crying. "I…" My voice was still shaking, but it was better than nothing. A few minutes ago, I was an incomprehensible mess of tears and a shaky voice was big improvement from there. I swallowed before trying to speak again. "I'm good… I think," I breathed as I ran a trembling hand over my face. I nodded to myself. "I'm good."

Kurapika was not convinced, but he couldn't really stop me as I got back up to my feet. And though my knees were a bit wobbly, I was fairly sure I wouldn't fall over anytime soon. "Are you sure?" the Kurta asked as he got up as well.

I nodded again. "Yeah," I hummed, though I hesitated in taking a step closer towards the platform. "Hey, you told me once that I'm gonna have your full support in whatever I do, right?" Biting down on my lip, I carefully considered my words. "You meant that, right?"

"Of course. Why would-"

"But if I turn out to be murdering psychopath, you'll stop me, right? Kill me, even, if that's what it takes."

The Kurta gave me a confused look. "Where is all of this coming from?"

A scowl spread across my face as I began to make my way over to Leorio and Killua ever so slowly. "There's this small…" I began, my voice barely above a whisper. I shook my head. Who was I kidding? There wasn't anything _small_ about this. "There's this _large_ chance that I'm a murderer… and if things get out of hand, I just want to make sure someone's gonna do something about me." I glanced at the Kurta and his face was twisted into an expression of pain. "You'll do what's right, right?"

Before the blonde could even answer, Leorio called out. "Mina! Should you really be walking around?"

I forced a weak smile and shrugged. "I was just a bit shaken up is all," I easily replied, my voice back to its chirpy self. "Nothing a good venting couldn't solve."

Killua's eyebrows shot up. "Told ya she was gonna be fine," the boy said before turning to the Kurta. "What happened to him?"

My smile faltered for a moment and by the small change in the boy's expression, I could tell he caught the movement. "He… He had single-handedly calmed me down," I chuckled. "That wears out a lot of people. Ne, Kurapika?"

The blonde nodded. "How is Gon?"

"He's fine," Leorio answered. "They decided to settle this match through a contest." I raised an eyebrow as I crossed my arms. At least it was safer than a death match. "They're both going to light a candle and whoever keeps the candle burning longer, wins."

"Sounds easy enough," I mused, shrugging.

"Yeah, but we have to choose which candle Gon's going to use," Killua stated, pointing a finger at the prisoner holding two candles. It was then I realized the dilemma. One was longer than the other.

"Normally, you'd pick the longer one," Leorio began to think out loud. "So they must've done something to the longer candle to put us at a disadvantage." The man had a point. Since the Exam was set up to take advantage of an applicants' unconsciously formed habits, then picking the longer one would definitely have a catch.

"That would be the safe assumption," Kurapika interjected. "But it's also possible that by making us believe that the longer one was a trap, they'd have us pick the shorter candle which might actually be the one that was tampered." And yet another point was made in which the examiners would have taken advantage of our naturally wary nature.

"If you put it like that…"

"There's no end to it," the blonde sighed.

I continued to stare at the two candles until my gaze unconsciously fell onto the large amount of blood staining the floor. I couldn't help but cringe. The events then began to replay itself within my mind, like it was some kind of movie. The sensation of Bendot's hands around my throat, the pain of having to struggle for air, the warm feeling at the tips of my fingers… They were back, and this time, I could feel the warmth going up my own arms.

"Mina."

I blinked. "Huh?" I asked in a rather lost way, glancing at each of the faces that were watching me. "What is it?"

Leorio's eyebrows furrowed. "We decided to go with Gon's decision."

"Which is?"

"The longer candle," the future doctor slowly replied. "Hey, are you sure you're alright?"

Nodding, I pressed the 'O' button on my watch. "Yeah, I'm fine."

=oOo=

It didn't come as much of a surprise when Gon won, and I couldn't help but smile when we began leading by two points. One more win and we were outta here. Up next was Kurapika who was going to go up against a monstrous, blue-skinned man. Despite his opponent's size though, he didn't seem as much of a threat than he'd like to appear.

"Oi," Leorio quietly began when the convict began to somehow grow larger. "Is Kurapika gonna be alright? This guy looks dangerous."

A knowing smile spread across my lips. "He's got this one," I replied, arms crossed. "That guy's nothing but a joke, I tell ya."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Gut feeling," I chirped, shrugging. "Always the gut feeling." We then heard the blue man roar and saw him lunge at Blondie. Kurapika easily dodge the punch and his opponent ended up punching a hole into the ground. I had to raise my eyebrows at that one. Looked like he had some bite in him after all.

When the man got up and turned his back to us, my eyes grew wide. It was a tattoo of a twelve-legged spider. For a moment, I thought he was a member of the Phantom Troupe, but my curiosity as a child had me thinking otherwise. Troupe members had their number on their tattoos, and this particular tattoo didn't have a number.

"A tattoo of a spider with twelve legs…" Leorio murmured. Right. He knew about them too. "That's…"

"Nope," I cut in. "Not real." So this man was relying on bluffs and tricks to frighten his opponents and get them to willingly yield. What a coward.

Gon turned my way. "What do you mean?"

"Kurapika's hell bent on avenging his people," I quietly began to explain. "You'd think he knows his targets well." Something cold then suddenly ran down my spine while the man continued on with his empty threats, and this time, I could pinpoint where it was coming from.

Kurapika.

"It's over," I murmured just as the Kurta grabbed the man and delivered a punch that knocked the prisoner out. Leorio and Gon gasped in surprise while Killua just let out a low whistle, impressed.

"Consider this a warning…" the Kurta began. "First, a real Phantom Troupe member has the member's number on the spider. Second, they don't bother counting how many they've killed. Third, never mention the Troupe again. If you do, I'll kill you."

I stole a glance at my friends. They seriously looked shocked – aside from Killua, who always seemed to be an exception when it came to these things – and really needed to close their mouths before a fly flew in. But their initial surprised shifted into sincere worry and it was understandable. The Phantom Troupe was a delicate subject for Kurapika and it was almost like an unspoken rule to never bring it up.

The walkway appeared soon enough and the blonde made his way back to us. Sighing, I stepped in front of him, grabbed him by his robe and pulled him down to eye level. I looked hard into his eyes and though they were all in all brown, I could make out a faint red glow around the iris.

"Mina, what do you think you're doing?" Leorio asked from behind me, worried.

"It's all good," I reassured him before turning back to the Kurta. "You're fine?" He took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'm fine." Content with his answer, I let him go and stepped back. "I knew he was weak from the very beginning and I also knew that tattoo was fake. But as soon as I saw that spider, everything in my sight turned red."

"Well, I can't really blame you," future-doctor man sighed.

"Actually, to tell the truth…"

"Hm?" we all hummed.

"Even when I see a real spider, my personality changes and I enter a frenzy." My eyebrows shot up. Arachnophobia. A creepy, Kurapika version of it as least. And there he was pressing that I had claustrophobia. "But I suppose I should be happy…" he murmured as he retreated to the shadowed part of the corridor.

Leorio was enthusiastic to volunteer for the next round, but his enthusiasm was shot down when one of the prisoners pointed out that Kurapika's match was over yet. A frown appeared on my face. She was right. Majitani was knocked out before he could surrender and he wasn't killed either. Kurapika had to go back in and finish the job.

But the stubborn Kurta refused no matter what Killua or Leorio said, much to the latter's chagrin. Leorio then decided to settle the convict's fate by voting and instantly, I knew this was going to end horribly. And it did. First, he tried to use the watch, but that didn't work because it was for the Exam only. Next, he tried with a show of hands, but that didn't work either and we ended up deciding to wait for the blue man to wake up.

This could take forever.

=oOo=

"Is something wrong, Gon?"

Killua's question had me looking up from my hands and Gon's affirmative reply had me pushing myself off of the wall I was leaning against. It had been a few hours already since we decided to let the convict wake up on his own and I spent that time trying to figure out how those glowing blue strings came springing out form my fingers. The boy in green then pointed at the unconscious man and I immediately saw the cause for his concern.

He hadn't moved an inch.

A few more seconds of staring on my part, however, got me to sigh and lean back against the wall, my arms crossed. He was very much alive despite Killua's theory that he could be dead and Gon's worrisome observations.

"Then let's make a bet."

I blinked. "A bet?" Leorio echoed, voicing my own thoughts. "On what?"

"On whether he's dead or alive," the woman replied from the other side of the room.

"What would we wager?"

"Time." I had to frown at that one. So we were going to gamble away our time. "We'll settle our match through a betting game, a gamble. And we'll use time, rather than chips." She continued to explain the mechanics and as it turned out, whoever lost all fifty hours would lose. If they won, we'd lose fifty hours. But if we won, they'd get their sentences extended for fifty more years. Not really that bad an exchange, but with a little over sixty hours left on our watches, time was something we couldn't spend all willy-nilly. "Do you accept these conditions?"

Gambling. The word had me glancing at Leorio. If he played it right, his match would be over in just a few minutes.

"You shouldn't talk…" said man grunted as he crossed his arms and turned away from Kurapika. He was still a bit bitter over all of us siding with the Kurta. "We wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't finished him off in the first place."

"Fine," Kurpika huffed, turning away from the older teen as well. "I will not say another word."

I rolled my eyes. "Real mature boys," I sang, my tone unamused. "_Real_ mature."

"Hey, we shouldn't be fighting with each other," Gon chided. It was pretty rare for the boy to scold any one of us, but he did have a point.

In the end, Leorio agreed to the woman's terms and betted ten hours that the blue man was alive. In all honesty, he could've gone a little higher, just to throw his opponent off, but Leorio had his own way of dealing things and if ever this was some kind of tactic of his, I wasn't going to be the one interfere.

Leorio won the bet and got the upper hand. It was his turn to decide what they would bet on and when I heard his decision, it had me smiling. I would've laughed too, but that was a little too much.

"How about we bet on whether he's truly unconscious?"

Then I heard how Leorio was going to prove the convict's unconsciousness and that had me grinning from ear to ear. He was going to toss him over the edge of the platform. Of course, that didn't go without complaints but the woman eventually agreed and went all in. If the man was really unconscious, then he'd die and we'll finally get a move on with things. If the man was conscious, then we'd be able to settle Kurapika's match once and for all.

"Then, I'll let go."

As soon as I heard the convict's frightened voice and claim of surrender, I pushed myself off of the wall and grabbed my things. I slipped my backpack on and hooked my whip back onto my belt and it was then I caught sight of a bundle of cloth lying in the corner. My sweater. A frown spread across my face as I imagined how stained it must have been since I hadn't bothered to look earlier. Huffing, I adjusted my backpack and turned away.

I was so leaving that thing behind and we were so out of this room.

=oOo=

"Say, how long do we have left?" I asked.

"A little over fifty-one hours," Kurapika replied. "It should be obvious which one we should pick."

I nodded. "Forty-five hours?" Leorio chuckled. "We can make it and we'd still have time to spare."

Killua hummed as he slipped out a hand from the pocket of his shorts. "Then it's settled."

Gon beamed and pressed the 'O' button. "We choose the long and difficult path."


	10. Chapter 10

"_We choose the long and difficult path."_

=oOo=

One hand of mine rested on top of my head while the other rested on my hip as I tried to wrap my head around what we were supposed to do. Right before us was a long, ominous drop, the kind of drop that assured you that there wasn't even a sliver of hope you'd survive the fall. Just staring into it was enough for me to lose my edge and hinder my breathing. It was just _suffocating_, and I knew what suffocating felt like.

There was also the matter of the narrow walkway connecting us to the door on the other side of the ridiculously large room. It was as plain as day that we needed to cross, and though the path was wide enough for one person to cross at a time, it didn't look all that stable. It wasn't old or anything, but there were a lot of ways to make a bridge safer, not that safety was really the Hunter Association's top priority here.

"What're we waiting for?" Leorio whined. "We're wasting valuable time here!"

The older teen had a good point. It had already been more or less eleven hours since we took up this path and if what Lippo said was true – that this path needed a minimum of forty-five hours to complete – then we really needed to get a move on.

"I'll go first!" Gon volunteered and he ran off. Killua followed right behind him, hands perpetually in his pockets in a bored kind of way. Next was Kurapika, then Leorio and finally, me.

All was going fine and dandy until parts of the walkway began to move at various speed and directions. The sudden movement had me losing my balance and I almost fell off. Luckily, I managed to find my center of gravity again and planted my two feet on the section of the bridge I was on. After a few seconds, everything somehow calmed down and I took a good look around. The room was roughly around two hundred meters by a hundred and fifty meters, and the five of us – and parts of the walkway – were scattered all over.

"Is everyone alright?" came Kurapika's voice from my distant left. My eyebrows rose at his question. After we won the round-robin thing and chose to take the long and difficult path, he had kept more to himself than usual. He was the quiet kind of person, but something just felt off about him right now. Shaking my head, I pushed away my concern for him and brought myself back to the present. I patted myself down, checking that everything was in place, before I nodded and looked his way.

"I'm good," I replied.

"Me too," Gon answered.

Leorio grunted, and more or less, we knew he was alright.

"I'm fine," Killua hummed. The kid's voice was closer than the others' and I turned to my right. Unlike the others, Killua was maybe just a little over a dozen feet away.

"So what do we do now?" Leorio asked, irritation evident in his voice.

"We cross, obviously," I stated, crossing my arms.

"But the door's all the way over there," the doctor-to-be argued as he pointed a finger at his right. Of the five of us, Leorio was the farthest and I was the nearest. "And the bridge is in pieces!"

"The parts aren't that far away from each other," Killua began. "It'd be easy to just jump from one platform to another." To prove his point, the white-haired boy leaped and became the one nearest to the door. "See?" Leorio shot him a skeptical look while the kid prepared for another jump, but before Killua could take off, the platforms began to move again.

This time, I was a little bit better at balancing and didn't stumble. After a few seconds of moving, the platforms came to a stop and we found ourselves at different parts of the room again. I was now a few feet farther away from the exit than I initially was, and Killua was closer. Gon was now the farthest and Kurapika was now only a few meters behind me. This was going to be a pain in the ass, I could tell. With these small platforms moving around randomly, getting to the other end of the room was going to be time-consuming.

With the pieces of the bridge still stationary, I took the initiative to move and made the jump. "Just keep heading for the exit…" I murmured to myself. It was as simple as that, but with all the moving, it'd take a while. After all, we chose the _long_ and difficult path. I dared a glance at the ugly fall around us. One wrong move, one mistimed step was all it was gonna take.

It took us some time, but we figured out that every thirty seconds, the platforms moved. Every minute, they changed heights. And every three minutes, one of the platforms crumbled. Killua was the first to cross, followed by me. Leorio soon followed, then Gon. Kurapika had somehow been the unlucky one since all the platforms he landed on either moved back or became lower. Talk about unlucky.

"We're burning daylight here, Blondie," I taunted as we watched him try and cross the room. He'd been stuck for a good eleven minutes, being always moved back, and though it didn't show on his face, I was pretty sure he was getting frustrated. Finally, he reached a block that would get him over to us, but a beep echoed throughout the room and we heard something explode somewhere below us. Twelve minutes. One of the platforms was going to collapse and my eyes grew wide when the block Kurapika was standing on began to shake violently before he could make the jump.

Oh hell no.

"Kurapika!" Gon, Leorio and I cried out in unison. The Kurta managed to get off before the whole thing crumbled, but the rest of the platforms were still moving. Unless he was real lucky, he'd land, or at the very least grab onto one of them. But he wasn't lucky enough and he just missed a block. Cursing, I pulled out my whip and tried to catch him. Thankfully, the end of my weapon wrapped around his right arm and he ended up dangling from it.

Almost immediately, my grip began to slip. The blonde was much heavier than I had expected and Leorio had to take my weapon from me unless I wanted Kurapika to fall to his death. It was a pretty nerve-wracking, one minute wait for the Kurta reach us and when he did, I couldn't help but frown. He looked fine and I was worried over nothing. A sigh of relief left my lips as I pushed back my bangs and let my hand rest on my head for a while.

"Worried, Onee-chan?"

My frown deepened at the tone the kid had used. He had posed a taunt into an innocent question. "Don't play that game, Killua," I huffed, letting go of my hair and crossing my arms. Vaguely, I could feel something warm creep up my face and I immediately knew what it was. Goddamit, I was blushing.

"So you _were_ worried," he smugly and quietly sang as he and I watched the three boys talk. Well, to be more precise, the two of us watched Leorio and Gon ask the Kurta over and over again if he was hurt.

"You weren't?"

"You didn't deny."

"I didn't confirm."

"Doesn't mean you weren't, and knowing you, Onee-chan, you were," he hummed. "And maybe you still are."

"Cheeky brat."

=oOo=

It was a maze.

It was maze of _wires_.

It was a maze of _sharp_ wires.

It was a _deadly_ maze of sharp wires.

Thirty-nine hours after we started this path and we found ourselves face to face with a hallway filled with those strong, sharp metal filaments. A few minutes ago, we tested just how easily they could slice through something and threw a can of Tonpa's juice Killua still had with him. Simply put, the can was shredded.

An image suddenly flashed before my eyes. Blood. Torn flesh. Bendot.

I shook my head. I couldn't let myself be distracted right now, especially with this kind of maze. I needed to be aware of what was around me if I wanted to get through this shit.

I turned back to the mess of wires and I could see a several spots we could slip through, but if those things were planning on moving the moment we stepped in, then we were done for.

"Ladies first?"

I shot Leorio a look. "Age before beauty," I answered, gesturing for him to go first.

"That means Killua and I'll go first," Gon chimed. Despite having just been chased out of a room by a horde of poisonous snakes and being dropped a good ten feet, he still had some spirit in him. It was amusing really and I could tell Leorio wasn't too pleased with him and the white-haired boy being all too enthusiastic about things.

A frown slowly appeared on my face, however, when Gon took my response a little too seriously. Grunting, I readjusted my ponytail and tied my hair into a secure bun. "Nah," I murmured as I slipped off my bag. "Let me show you how it's done." I wasn't going to let Gon – alright, and Killua – step into something like this first. It was some kind of sisterly instinct I had that I both came to love and hate.

To be honest, I had never done anything like this, but if it was anything like sneaking into the ranch through the barbed wire fences since I was running late, then it should be easy.

"You've never done this before," Kurapika bluntly stated just as I slid my bag through the largest opening first.

"I've had my fair share of sneaking in and out," I replied, my frown growing deeper as I processed the whole course. The hall was – from what I could see – around thirty meters long with numerous wires stretching across it, creating a maze. There were holes that I could easily slip through, but since Kurapika and Leorio were taller and larger than me, I'd have to take the route they could. It was difficult, but not impossible. "You guys have to copy my every move, alright?" The four boys nodded simultaneously and I narrowed my eyes at them. "My _every_ move."

They nodded again and at that, I took a deep breath before slipping through where I had pushed my bag in. I made it a point to always let my stuff go first. I didn't like the idea of having to leave it behind, or it – and along the rest of my things – being sliced up.

A wire was stretched across above my head and I kept myself close to the ground. There was an opening large enough for Leorio to go through to my right, but before I could reach it, there was another wire. Cautiously, I made my way over to the opening, stood up while avoiding the wire that could decapitate me and stepped over the wire blocking the clearing. I easily passed through and again, let my bag go first.

It went on like that for several, long minutes, with the spaces between the wires gradually growing smaller and smaller. The last I had to go through was barely just enough for Leorio to slide through while lying down.

A sigh of relief escaped me as I slid under the last of the wires and got up. I took a deep breath and turned around to look at the maze I had just passed. Thankfully, I had escaped with little to no scratches. I nodded to myself as I placed my hands on my hips. Looked like running late for work had paid off.

"And that's how you do it," I sang. "Your turn."

"I'll go next," Kurapika announced, his voice bouncing back and forth between the hall's walls. It would take a while before all of us would get through, so I decided to plop myself down on the floor and pulled my bag closer to me. I began sifting through my things and I found it amusing that I didn't remember packing half of the things inside.

A headband I didn't like, a pair of socks that weren't really mine, a cracked mirror, some scissors, a black pen and… My eyes grew wide and I could feel heat slowly creep up to my face. How did _this_ get here?! My blushing continued to grow worse when I recalled Kurapika going through my things earlier. If he saw this, if he would tell the boys I had something like this with me right now, it would be the end of me. I'd die of embarrassment.

Dear gods.

Of all the things I had to haul into this Exam, it had to be a _photograph_. And it wasn't just _any_ photograph. I was _the_ photo. My face continued to heat up as the memory came rushing back to me. Why did Serena even take this picture?! And how in the world did it end up _here_, of all places and times? I was pretty sure I had buried, hid, burned or cut up every single copy of this photo because for the love of god, almost everyone in the neighborhood had one. Everyone had said it was adorable, too precious.

I glanced at the photo and I immediately regretted doing so. I also regretted posing for that picture.

Bleh.

Adorable my ass.

Irritated that it had somehow resurfaced, I shoved the piece of glossy paper to the very bottom of my bag. Though it was tempting to tear it into pieces, I couldn't really bring myself to do so. Maybe some kind of guilt or regret I never thought I was capable of feeling when it came to that particular picture. Or maybe the fact that Aster took it had me second guessing. Either way, I'd make sure that this time, it wouldn't get reproduced. God forbid anything like Killua or Leorio getting their hands on it would happen.

Again, I went about snooping around my own bag and found my very light and very thin wallet. You'd think that I'd have a lot more money to spend since I had a part-time job and was under the care of a doctor, but the very reason I had a job was because Serena wasn't really rich. She was an average person with average income that valued hard work and its rewards. Besides, I didn't want to take her for granted or anything.

Opening my wallet, I found a few bills and coins. All in all, I had enough for a trip back to Corymb – train and boat ride and all – not including the food I needed to get by the one week trip. But I wouldn't be worrying about that once I passed the Hunter Exam. Transportation would be free after all.

Corymb. Oddly enough, I was feeling kind of homesick. It was such a laidback, out-of-the-way town. Days were as lively as they could in a town where everyone knew everyone, and the nights were just as homey. There would be the occasional news of a brawl down at the local bar, but it wasn't anything too serious, nothing the police couldn't sort out. If someone got hurt, people would bring them to our home, even if it was two in the morning. Serena couldn't really deny them and she'd either wake me or Aster up to help her out.

A sigh escaped my lips as I tossed the dark blue pouch back into my bag. I crossed my arms behind my head and leaned back against the wall. Kurapika was sure taking his damn sweet time. A little longer and I'd start thinking about depressing things. I didn't like depressing things.

And as if right on cue, the Kurta came stumbling out of the maze. He had lost his tabard. I guess he had decided to take it off, unless he wanted to tear the traditional Kurta garb.

"Yo," I chimed, waving a hand at him. In response, he simply nodded his head and settled himself a few feet away from me. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Hey, are you alright?" I found myself asking. "You've been awfully quiet."

Kurapika frowned and looked like he was considering his answer. "You asked me to kill you," he quietly replied.

Oh.

In the background, I could hear Leorio's cursing. From what I could tell, he'd have more scratches than a sofa store filled with cats.

"If I get out of hand," I clarified, though my voice came out weaker than I expected. "There's a big, fat _if_ to that, you know."

The Kurta looked my way and I could tell he didn't appreciate the way I was handling this. He held my gaze for a few moments before he turned away from me. "I… I doubt that I would be able to do such a thing," he admitted. "I won't be able to bring myself to hurt you."

A frown slowly formed on my face, and it wasn't really the angry kind of frown. It was more like the concerned kind of frown. "That's why there's an _if_. There's a possibility that you'd have to, but there's also the chance that you won't." I pulled my legs closer to my body and wrapped my arms around them. Personally, I also didn't like the idea of Kurapika killing me. There was really just something wrong with that picture. Not only did it not sit right with me, but something cold would wrap around my heart whenever I thought of it. "But… Just do what's right. You're good at that."

"What would it take for you to not stray?" he grimly asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," I answered after a few seconds of thought. "My memories are fuzzy, but I think they'll come back. And when they do, I just hope that I won't change into someone I'm not, or into someone I don't want to be."

Silence fell between the two of us and just when I thought the conversation was over, he spoke up again, his tone determined. "We won't let that happen," he said, eyes glaring at the floor. "_I_ won't let that happen."

My eyebrows pulled together. He was awfully taking things to heart. Kurapika wasn't letting go of this issue, not by a long shot, but he was kinda completely ignoring the possibility that I _wasn't_ a bad guy and that I _won't_ be, ever. It was both kinda depressing and heart-warming to think he'd be so serious about my case when he made it clear that his top priority was taking down the Phantom Troupe. The blonde already had so much going on and the weight he was carrying was only getting heavier.

Then again, I was partly to blame. People said that ignorance was bliss. Looking at Gon, Leorio and Killua, I kinda believed it. They didn't know a thing and they were content, unlike Kurapika here who knew things and took it upon himself to keep me from going bad.

Depressing. The whole thing was absolutely depressing and I couldn't help but feel responsible about it. I couldn't help but pout as the Kurta continued on to brood. Talk about guilt tripping. Sighing, I shuffled over to the blonde and took the spot beside him.

"I trust you, alright?" I began, drawing a curious look from the Kurta while my face began to grow warm again. "And I expect you to trust me." Slowly, I reached out a hand and grabbed his. For a few seconds, I mused at how the colors of our skin didn't differ too much despite all those times I had stayed outdoors and then I lifted his hand and lightly slapped him with it. "So stop worrying and snap out of your brooding," I muttered as I settled back against the wall, arms crossed. "I know what I'm doing and honestly, the whole silent suffering doesn't suit you."

Kurapika stared at me for a while before a faint trace of a smile appeared on his lips. "You're right," I heard him sigh – or maybe even chuckled, couldn't really tell since he was mostly talking to himself. "I don't have to worry about anything."

"Damn right I'm right," I huffed.

=oOo=

"Ouch! What was that for?"

I glared at the Kurta as I put down the hand I had used to smack his head with. "For being an idiot, an ass, a jerk and for pushing me into a shoot. A _goddamn_ shoot," I grunted as we stepped out of the door, dusty and tired. I swore we looked like miners. "For god's sake Kurapika. A little bit of warning next time."

Our last obstacle had been choosing between five large holes on the ground. Lippo had told us that we were free to pick whichever we wanted since all of them led to the goal. The only difference was how we would get there. Of course, we didn't know at first and it was only when we got to the bottom that we realized how our paths differed. Gon was the lucky one since his was a slide drop down. Leorio had to deal with several thorny vines along the way. Killua got wet and said he didn't want to explain. Kurapika had to go through some electric shocks. I had chunks of rocks lining the walls. _Sharp_ rocks, mind you.

I didn't get injured in that wire maze, but this rock tunnel did a good number on me. What's worse was that Kurapika had just pushed me in without a word. In his defense, he said he knew I wouldn't jump in easily.

But that small smile on his face had me doubting his alibi. No, scratch that. It was a smirk. He was smirking and I just had to narrow my eyes at him.

"What's with that look?"

"_Kurapika, applicant #404 is the seventeenth to pass. Demina, applicant #406 is the eighteenth to pass. Total time, sixty-five hours and forty-eight minutes."_

My frown deepened. "And why do you get to finish first?" I looked behind me just as Gon, Killua and Leorio's name were announced. "And the two of you, Leorio, Killua. Wipe those smug looks on your faces before I remove them for you."

They _so_ had this planned out the moment they saw those holes on the ground.

Killua smiled even wider. "Ne, Onee-chan. I didn't know you could scream that loud." I glared at the boy. I was so going to get even with him one day.

"Alright! We passed!" Gon cheered as he heard his, Killua's and Leorio's name echo throughout the room. I couldn't help but drop my glare at Killua and smile at the boy in green. A ray of sunshine, he really was. Right beside him, Leorio was chuckling and ruffling his hair. Killua soon joined in the laughter, poking fun at the older teen and soon enough, all five of us were laughing.

It didn't take too long before the Examiners announced the end of the Third Phase.


	11. Chapter 11

_It didn't take too long before the Examiners announced the end of the Third Phase._

=oOo=

"Well this sucks," I sighed, crossing my arms behind my head.

It had already been two days since we got on this bloody island and I hadn't seen anyone else. Of course, there was the man in a suit that was following me, but he looked so official that he must have been part of the Hunter Association. Maybe he was keeping tabs. Or maybe he was assessing me. Or maybe he was just plain ole stalking me. Who knew? I couldn't care less though. As long as he kept his distance and didn't get in the way, I didn't mind. It was comforting in a weird kind of way anyway to know that somebody else was actually here and it was fun to talk to him. He didn't answer, but at least he was listening to some degree.

"Oi, do you know where the other applicants are?"

No answer.

I shrugged. "Do they pay you well?"

Again, he didn't answer, not that I was really hoping for one.

"Your muscles should be aching by now," I stated. "Why don't you just come down and do some stretching to remove some of the strain?" It was friendly suggestion. Besides, from what I could tell, he had been staying up in the trees. It wasn't really the most comfortable of spots, you know for stalking people for long periods of time. "Suit yourself then," I hummed when he stayed put and I got up onto my feet. "I'm going now. Better keep up."

The leaves rustled faintly and I couldn't help but smirk. With a quick jump, I landed on a branch of a nearby tree and began leaping from tree to tree. It wasn't the most discreet of ways to go about with all the noisy leaves making a racket, but it was fun. And if by some stroke of luck my target noticed me and decided to chase me down, thinking I was another applicant, then wouldn't that be a joy?

It didn't take long before night fell and still, there was no one in sight. On a side note, the dude that was following me was keeping the same amount of distance between us since I started. I had to hand it to him. He was really keeping up. Though it was completely dark, I had no problem seeing. Like I had said some time ago – or maybe not, couldn't really remember – I was a lot keener that most teens my age. My friends often joked about it, telling me I was a bit too paranoid, but it got us out of trouble a few times, and maybe got us into several more.

"Do you want to take a break, mister?" I asked as I stopped from my tree-hopping and landed on the ground below. "An old man like you should be pretty beat by now." Unexpectedly, someone answered.

"I didn't know we had a loony on board."

My eyes grew wide and I immediately turned around, a hand already on my whip. A boy that was maybe one or two years younger than me stood a few meters away from me. He had a bow and a sheath of arrows strapped onto him and had one of his hands lazily shoved into his pocket. All in all, he looked like he wasn't going to attack, but that didn't mean I could just let down my guard. And he _did_ just call me loony. I wasn't going to take that lightly.

"Who's your target?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the younger applicant.

He raised both his hands and took a step back. "Woah, calm down," he said. "I'm not going to take your tag or anything. I already got my target's."

I didn't budge. Convincing as he was, I was so not going to take any chances. "Target. Now," I demanded.

The boy gave me a look before sighing and digging his hand deeper into the pocket of his pants. He slipped out two pieces of plastic. One was the card he drew earlier – 105 – and the other was an applicant's ID tag – also 105. The corners of my lips moved downwards into a frown. He was telling the truth. I took a deep breath and let go of my weapon.

"Geez," he sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "You really know how to make a guy nervous."

I shrugged. "I have that effect on some people," I hummed, crossing my arms.

Suddenly, he stiffened. "I'm not your target, am I?"

I raised an eyebrow. Hadn't really thought of that. I was planning to just wander around for the time being and gather some info on my target from anyone I came across. An amused huff escaped my lips. Looked like I finally found someone to ask. "Depends. What's your number?"

It was his turn to consider me. "I'm #53."

My earlier scowl reappeared. "Nope," I grunted, closing my eyes. Damn. It would have been easier if he was since he was obviously taking it easy. Well, time to get down to another order of business. "Say, you won't happen to know a #198 now, would you?" I casually asked, watching the boy.

The pink-hatted boy took a few seconds to think, a hand holding onto his chin. "Isn't that one of the Amori Brothers?"

"Amori Brothers?" I echoed. The name was irritatingly familiar.

The kid nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "It's those three brothers. I heard they usually work together as a team. It's rare to find them away from each other."

Never away from each other, huh? That could work for me. Find one of them, and I'd get to the rest. "Any chance you've seen them?"

The boy smirked. "Better. I know where they are."

=oOo=

I narrowed my eyes at the pair beneath us. The kid, Pokkle, was right.

"So what's the plan?"

I flinched at the sudden question. "You're still here?!" I hissed, glaring at the boy resting on the tree right beside the one I was standing on.

Pokkle raised his eyebrows at me. "I was curious about what you'd do. You're outnumbered and outmatched. With the two of them working together, you have a low chance of winning."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Now aren't you just a little ray of sunshine?" I said, making sure that even the most dense of people could get my sarcasm. "Besides, they won't be able to lay a finger on me."

"A little too confident, Demina?"

"Just stating facts, Pokkle. Now hush. I'm thinking."

And think I did. Out of the three Amori Brothers, there were only two sitting down in the clearing. From what Pokkle had told me on the way, applicant #198 was Imori who wasn't one of the two siblings waiting in the clearing. He had overheard a few days ago that they'd regroup here once they all got their target's tags. But from the looks of things, the guy in red, Amori, and the dude in yellow, Umori, were getting pretty impatient. Umori was already repeatedly tossing his target's tag up in the air and Amori was tapping a stick onto the ground.

If I went down there and made an appearance right now, they'd definitely treat me as the bad guy. Being the bad guy meant not being trusted. Not being trusted meant not getting information. Not getting information meant not finding #198. Not finding #198 meant failing. And I didn't want to fail, not now that I've come this far.

"I'll wait for them to regroup," I quietly mused. "Once they've let their guard down, I'll strike."

"Yeah," Pokkle huffed, getting up. "That's probably the best way to go. Well, I'll leave you to it."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not sticking around? And here I thought you wanted to find out what I can do."

"I'll get another chance," he said with a shrug. "It was nice meeting you, Demina."

"Likewise," I replied as I hopped onto the branch he was standing on. I reached out a gloved hand. "Thanks for the help, Pokkle. I owe you one."

"Anytime," the kid said, a grin on his face as he shook my hand. "See you at the goal?"

I nodded. "See you at the goal." Pokkle nodded as well and I let go of his hand. He turned around to jump off of the tree and it was then that a thought crossed my mind. "Hey," I quietly chirped as I crossed my arms. "There's one other thing."

Pokkle looked at me over his shoulder. "What is it?"

I managed a grin. "Call me Mina."

=oOo=

It had been a few hours after dawn when Amori and Umori had finally decided to check up on Imori. Impatience got the better of them and they set off to find their brother. Ever so determined to get #198's tag, I followed them and it was then that I noticed I wasn't alone. No, it wasn't the man from the Hunter's Association. And _no_, I wasn't dreaming it up. Whoever it was, they were following the siblings for only one of two reasons: one of them was his target, or _I_ was the target.

But if I was the target, then he would've already tried taking my tag. But since he hadn't, that could only mean it was one of the Amori Brothers.

Imagine my surprise when I came to find out that Imori was following Killua. Poor kid. Imori wouldn't know what hit him if he tried to fight the white-haired brat. It was pretty obvious – especially with all the things that happened at Trick Tower – that Killua was not to be taken lightly in a fight. The kid was faster, stronger and more skilled than anyone I had ever met. Wherever he got all of those, I wouldn't know.

I watched with mild amusement as Imori landed a solid kick to the kid's gut. That should've hurt, but Killua brushed it off like it was nothing. On top of that, he managed to pilfer the man's tag. They were pretty shaken up with that one and proceeded to take positions. Oh? They were going to try teamwork, huh? I'd love to drop in help Killua, but from what I could tell and from what my gut was telling me, I should just sit back and enjoy the show. No harm in a little entertainment, right?

But it was all over in a matter of seconds and the boy already had Amori by the neck with… I frowned at what I saw. Claws?

"Don't move," the kid ordered as he held his claws right next to the vein along the man's neck. "My nails are sharper than knives."

The siblings made the smart decision and kept still.

"You're #197?" the boy sighed, annoyed. "I'm so bad at guessing these things…" I raised an eyebrow. So one of them was Killua's targets and it must've been Umori. "Hey, are you #199?" The guy nodded. "Hand it over." Begrudgingly, he threw the tag towards Killua and the boy easily caught it. "Thanks. Now, for the tags I don't need…"

"I guess that's my cue, huh?" I chirped as I dropped down from my tree and daintily landed on my feet, startling the three brothers. "Honestly Killua… You could've dragged it on for a bit longer."

Said boy turned and waved a hand. "Onee-chan. I was wondering when you'd finally show yourself."

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. "Well, if I knew #198 was following you, then I should've just tagged along with you."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? #198's your target?" He glanced at the two spare tags he had. "Here you go."

Killua tossed the tag my way and I caught it without any trouble. "Thanks very much," I hummed as I slipped the tag into my pocket. "What're you gonna do with the other one?" I stole a glance at the nearby trees. "I'm pretty sure someone's waiting for it." And someone really was. Aside from the three brothers and Killua, I could feel there was somebody else nearby. "Why don't you be a good boy for once and give it away?"

He gave me a look, but he sighed in surrender. "Just this once," he grumbled before he threw the tag towards the trees as hard as he could. I let out a low whistle as I watched the tag quickly disappear from our sight. Where it would land, nobody knew. I then turned to the Amori brothers and gave them a peace sign.

"Sorry, but you fail this year," I sang. "Come on, Killua. Better head back before we run into trouble."

"Oi! Don't order me around," he grunted as he shoved his hands into his pockets before disappearing into the trees. An unamused huff left my lips. Brat went off and left me. When I caught up, Killua was already walking and playing with his target's tag.

"Man, that was boring… wonder what Gon's doing," he sighed just as I fell into step with him.

"Knowing Gon, he'd be done and waiting at the finish by now," I mused, crossing my arms. I glanced at Killua and there was a look on his face that I couldn't place. "Any reason he _wouldn't_ be done by now?"

Killua shrugged. "He drew Hisoka."

I flinched at the sound of the man's name. "I see… That _is_ worrisome," I sighed. Silence fell between us after that and I found myself glancing at the boy from time to time. I was really curious about what he did back there. You know, with the sharp claws. I'd never seen anything like that, let alone on a kid. Where in the world did he get that thing?

"I'm from a family of elite assassins."

I blinked several times. Assassins? _Assassins_. "I didn't say anything."

A tired sigh escaped his lips. "You weren't saying anything pretty loudly." Good point. "And besides, I quit the family business."

"So you've killed people before?"

"Yep."

"Ever felt guilty about it?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"It was a job. Nothing personal." I frowned at that one. "I just did what I had to do, I guess." I lowered my head. Did what he had to do, huh? Was it really that easy for him? Then again, he _was_ a professional. He was practically trained for those kinds of things. "So how are things between you and Kurapika?"

I _so_ did not see that one coming. "What do you mean?" I asked, unsure as my face began to heat up. "Fine, I guess."

The boy gave me a look. "The two of you didn't look alright after Leorio won his match. I was kind of wondering what happened."

Oh. So that's what he meant. Silly Demina, jumping to conclusions about people jumping to conclusions. But then again, he could've asked in a better way. I shook my head. "Nothing important," I easily lied.

Killua gave me another look, and this time, it was an annoyed look. "You're a horrible liar, Onee-chan."

"I'm pretty sure Leorio would believe me."

"The old man's stupid," he replied and I got to hand it to him. He knew how to make a good point. On another note, lying to an assassin wasn't probably one of my best ideas. "I'll give you one more chance to come clean."

A frown spread across my face and I ran a hand through my bangs. Come clean and live or lie and get killed? It was a pretty easy decision to make. "You know about how I don't remember my past, right?" Killua nodded and though I don't recall telling him anything, he was a smart kid. He could've figured it out. Or Gon could've told him. There was always that. "These past few days, I've been getting these… flashes and I think I'm getting back my memories."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

I tilted my head from side to side, unsure of how to answer. "It should be, but I don't really like what I'm seeing," I tiredly sighed. "From what I can tell right now, I was a killer, and a pretty damn good one."

Killua raised an eyebrow and watched me for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I don't think so," he mused.

"Huh?"

"I said I don't think you were a killer," he clarified. "At least, not a professional. If what you did back at Trick Tower was how you worked, then you're a pretty messy hitman. Besides, you don't look the part."

At that, I didn't know whether to be relieved, or insulted. "And you look the part?" I took a moment to look at him and my eyes narrowed. "I take that back. With that conniving mind of yours, you can be anything."

"I'm flattered."

"Don't be."

"So you and Kurapika-"

"Like I said, we're fine," I huffed. Did this kid not hear me the first time around?

Killua shook his head. "No, I mean… You _and_ Kurapika?" My eyebrows pulled together as a smirk appeared on the boy's face. "Holding onto his shirt, holding his hand, trying to save him? Ring any bells, Onee-chan?"

My face began to heat up. He was _so_ taking things out of context. "I… We're friends. _Friends_."

"Right," he sang, obviously not convinced with my answer, and it was getting irritating. Was that how it looked like? I was being a clingy, desperate girl and he was just being a good ole friend, right? There was nothing to it. "From what I can see, Kurapika has a thing for you." I nearly choked on the air I was breathing and Killua couldn't help but gape. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed, Onee-chan." My cheeks went up a few degrees higher. "You haven't, have you?" Killua groaned. "Man, you're dense."

"It's not like that," I argued rather weakly. I was too busy trying to wrap my head around what the kid was trying to do here.

"Right," he chirped again in the same unconvinced tone he used a while ago. "But honestly, Onee-chan. Couldn't you guys wait until the Exam was over?"

"It's not like that!" I yelled a little too loudly than I expected. My voice had been loud enough to send the nearby birds into flight and Killua and I to stop. Oops. I cleared my throat and tried to fight down my burning blush. Compose yourself Demina. I wasn't one for reputations, but I should at least have some composure left. "So what're you gonna do for the next three days?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe I'll look around for Gon. He's way more fun to be with than you."

An eyebrow of mine twitched. "I'll let that one slide, you little punk," I grunted. "But if that's your plan, I'll leave you alone now. I'm heading back."

"Going to look for Kurapika?"

"Shut up!"


	12. Chapter 12

"_Shut up!"_

=oOo=

A frown spread across my face when I noticed the utter lack of people hanging around the starting point. It was already Day Seven of the Fourth Phase and I've only seen a less than a handful applicants arrive at the goal from the safety of my very high tree. Namely, there was this bald dude, and an old man. I also saw Pokkle somewhere and we exchanged greetings before he went off to find his own hiding place.

"_From what I can see, Kurapika has a thing for you."_

The corners of my mouth curved downwards as I pushed back my bangs. Get out of my head, Killua's voice. I had enough freaky things going on in there.

Honestly, that kid really knew how to push people's buttons. It wasn't like that with Kurapika. We were friends. _Just_ friends. And I was pretty sure it wasn't only me who thought so. I was one hundred percent sure that Leorio, Gon and Kurapika himself would agree with me. The blonde was just being nice.

Speaking of those three boys, I hadn't seen any of them. Well, I wouldn't worry about Kurapika – that guy was probably done by the first day anyway – but Gon and Leorio were a different story. Gon drew Hisoka for heaven's sake, and then Leorio. He just wasn't the sharpest of people, but he had the potential. Actually, he was pretty good at fighting – both verbally and physically. He just wasn't the fighting _type_.

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, my arms crossed behind my head. I still had most of the day to kill and sitting here for another couple of hours wasn't really that appealing. Sure, it was nice to take it easy, but I really wanted to get this over with and it really sucked that we had to finish the one-week period. I heaved a sigh.

This was going to be a long-

"_The Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam has just ended."_

Amused, I huffed. Alright, maybe it didn't take as long as I had expected. Lazily, I opened my eyes and hopped off of the tree I was on. Once on the ground, I did a quick check of my belongings.

My tag? Check.

Imori's tag? Check.

Backpack? Check.

Whip? Check.

Knife? I blinked as I eyed the empty holster strapped to my left thigh. Not check. Now where did… I slapped my forehead when I finally remembered where my blade had ended up in, or _with_, to be precise. The Kurta still hadn't given it back. Not that I made any effort to _take_ it back. I guess it kinda slipped my mind with all the things going on. Sighing, I unstrapped the brown, leather thing and shoved it into my bag since there really was no sense in keeping it on when I didn't have a blade to put.

Well, I'd get it back sooner or later.

The examiners gave us another hour to get our asses back to the starting point and when I got there, I found that only one out of the four noisy boys was there.

"Taking their sweet damn time, aren't they?" I mused, annoyed as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You're worrying again," Killua hummed as he stepped forward and took the spot beside me. "You really need to learn how to relax, Onee-chan."

"Relax my ass," I grunted. "Who knows what happened to those guys…" He was awfully taking it easy.

Killua's eyebrows shot up. "I see what's going on," the boy sang. "You're worried about-"

I groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you that nothing's going on?" Besides, I wasn't even thinking of him. And even if I was, I _wouldn't_ be worried. Blondie can take care of himself. For all I knew, he could've gotten his target's tag since Day One. "We're friends, dammit. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. _Friends_."

A Cheshire grin spread across the pale boy's face. "I was about to say you're worried about _Gon_." Killua's smirk grew wider as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "But I guess you're more worried about-"

A finger of mine shot up to shush him. "Another word, Zoldyck, and you might just regret it," I warned, my golden eyes narrowing at the kid.

"I'm _so_ scared," he snickered before turning away.

That frown of mine deepened. "You _do_ realize that if Gon and the others don't come back, you'll be stuck with me for the rest of the Exam, right?" The kid blinked, then shuddered. "Oh come on! I'm not _that_ horrible to be with."

"You'd be amazed."

My mouth fell open. "Why you stuck up, cheeky, smart-mouthed-"

The sound of a ship's horn echoed and it was kinda a bit too loud to ignore. I turned and saw the ship dock at the same spot they docked a week ago. Khara, the lady who escorted us here, came stepping out of the boat, clipboard in hand.

"Alright. We will now check the tags of everyone here!" Aw shit. Gon and the guys weren't back yet. They'd _fail_. Begrudgingly, I pulled out the two tags that were in my pocket. One was mine and one was Imori's. "#406 Demina-san," Khara announced, confirming that I had passed. "So seven applicants have passed." I closed my eyes.

Well, there was always next year for those guys, but I really had expected that we'd pass all together.

"Oh?"

My eyes snapped open as I heard rustling from the nearby bushes. I quickly turned around and I couldn't help but smile at what I saw. "It's about time," I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest while the boy beside me called out to the kid in green. But then it struck me that they looked a lot more worse than I last saw them and that was a bit concerning. Though I doubted it had anything to do with being stupid. I nodded to myself.

Leorio and Gon weren't really the brightest, but I was pretty sure they were reasonable enough to not do anything life-threatening, or insane.

"Ah, three more arrive at the last second… And now, for the last few members." Khara called out their names, confirming they had passed and smiled widely. "These ten applicants have passed the Fourth Phase of the Exam!"

=oOo=

Airships were a lot better than boats, I concluded as I walked along the empty hallways of the Hunter Association's very own dirigible. It was the same airship that took us to Trick Tower and it was kinda hard to believe that that happened just a little over a week ago. There were around forty-plus of us back then and now, we were reduced to ten. The ten of us to take the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam.

I crossed my arms behind my back as I continued to wander around. I guess it just put things into perspective how lucky we had all been. To think that out of all four hundred and six applicants, Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika and I were among the ten lucky bastards that'd get a chance of becoming a full-fledged Hunter.

Somehow, the idea had me smiling by myself like an idiot.

Full-fledged Hunter. I liked the sound of that.

"Pathetic…" I heard someone murmur just as I rounded a corner. "I needed the two of you to do everything for me during the Fourth Phase." I blinked and quickly took a step back into the shadows, but I managed to steal a peek at the people talking. It was Leorio, along with Gon and Kurapika. "I promise I'll return the favor. So… Thanks." A soft smile tugged on my lips.

"_I have an announcement for all applicants." _I stopped from my eavesdropping and looked up at the sound of Beans' voice._ "The chairman wishes to interview the remaining candidates."_

An interview? Didn't they already have all the info they need? I mean, they were an association of Hunters. You'd think they'd have limitless sources of a lot of things.

"_When your number is called, please come to the first reception room on the second floor. Then, we will start with #44 Hisoka-sama."_

Hisoka? If we were going to go by number, then this'd be a long wait.

Sighing, I stepped out of my hiding place. Almost immediately, I noticed a small shift in the air around the three boys. It was warm and fuzzy a while ago and though it still was right now, I could feel something off, but I thought it was best to ignore it, so I shrugged it off. It probably wasn't anything important anyway.

"Mina," Kurapika called out and I lazily waved a hand at them.

"We were wondering where you and Killua had run off to," Leorio said as I made my way over to them.

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about where Killua is," I began, "but I was just taking a stroll." A huff escaped my lips as I pushed myself onto the window sill, squeezing myself between Kurapika and Leorio. "So what have you three been up to?" I casually asked. "You look like someone tried to mummify you."

The older teen made a face. "We got trapped in a cave filled with snakes," Gon explained.

An eyebrow of mine rose. I had a vague idea of what had happened. "Do I even _want_ to know?"

Leorio shrugged. "Let's just say Gon had to carry us out of the cave since we were all knocked out with sleeping gas."

"Sleeping gas?" All three boys nodded. "Alright, I wanna know."

"Leorio's target was Ponzu, a chemist, who in turn was targeting Bourbon, a snake charmer," Kurapika said. "Bourbon had set up a trap using his snakes to prevent anyone from leaving the cave and from laying a finger on him. However, Ponzu accidentally killed him with her bees."

Bees? "Anaphylactic shock?" The blonde nodded and I couldn't help but cross my arms. "Let me guess. You guys used Ponzu's sleeping gas to knock out the snakes and ended up knocking yourselves out." Gon opened his mouth. "Except you, of course."

"What about you, Mina? We haven't seen you in a week. Anything interesting happened?"

"Nah," I hummed, answering Leorio's question. "Nothing as reckless as what you guys did." It was then something crossed my mind, that thing Killua had said. Well, it wasn't actually true, so sharing it with these three should be fine. "Actually… I saw Killua a few days ago and found out something _real_ interesting."

Kurapika raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yep," I answered with a nod. "First of all, did you know that Killua's from a family of assassins?" The blonde and the older teen looked pretty surprised, but Gon was calm about it. It was either the kid had somehow learned to control his reactions, or he just already knew. "Second, did you know that Killua thinks that something's going on between the two of us?" I asked, turning my head towards Kurapika with an eyebrow of mine raised.

The blonde looked even more surprised, his cheeks taking on slight pink. "H-He _what_?" the Kurta stammered.

"My reaction exactly," I tiredly sighed, shrugging. It was then that Leorio broke out laughing uncontrollably and a glance to my side confirmed that Gon was doing his best not to do the same. "Ughh. Not you two too…" I ran a hand through my bangs as my face slowly but surely grew warmer. If they were reacting this way, then they had at least thought of something along the lines of what that white-haired brat had said. "Kurapika, tell them nothing's going on." Said boy already had a frown on his red face by that time and tried to speak up and reprimand the older teen, but Leorio cut him off.

"Sorry," he snorted as he clutched onto his sides and I couldn't help but cross my arms. Right. He looked like he was _real_ sorry. "B-But…" Laughter. "I just can't imagine…" More laughter. "The two of you being all…" Snort. "_Lovey-dovey ._"

Kurapika audibly coughed - or cleared his throat, I couldn't really tell the difference - while I slapped my forehead. "Really guys? You actually thought we had a thing for each other?" I asked, unamused and glaring at the still-laughing future doctor. But if he didn't stop from his snickering, he wouldn't have that much of a future anymore. That much, I was sure of.

Oh, but Leorio didn't really care at all and he went on teasing. "So _that's_ the reason why you wanted to head back! And here I thought you really liked my idea. You just wanted to check and see Mina!" he laughed. I raised an eyebrow and glanced at the still-blushing Kurta.

"_Don't tell me you haven't noticed, Onee-chan."_

Dammit Killua. Stop.

"I don't see anything wrong with it."

Gon's simple words stopped me from my musings and I was kinda certain that he caught both Leorio's and Kurapika's attention. Not that it actually helped our case.

"Say what?" I bluntly asked, double-checking if I heard what I thought I heard.

The boy shrugged. "I don't see why you and Kurapika can't be together." Whatever shade of red my face already was grew many more shades darker. This kid was too simple-minded for his own good and it was getting him to say things that were better left unsaid.

My hands reached up to massage my temples. My head was beginning to throb a bit out of the thinking and embarrassment this all was giving me. And I thought this little conversation was going to clear things up. "Gon," I began, fighting the urge to hit one of the two boys. Alright, maybe one little whack would be alright. "You _do_ realize what you're saying, right?" How hard I was going to hit him – or Leorio – would depend on his answer – or not.

He nodded. "Yes."

Full force it was then. I steadily balled a hand into fist and pulled my arm back to land a decent punch, but the moment I saw how serious he was being… It kinda put me off. I swallowed the lump that had somehow formed in my throat and let my fist drop to my side, grunting in frustration while my face went up a few degrees warmer. Gods. Why couldn't I hurt this kid? Instead, I ended up running a hand over my face and doing some breathing exercises to calm me down. Well, Leorio's chuckling was making it difficult for me not to hit _him_.

"If you two ever get together, you'd be so whipped!" he chortled, pointing at the frowning Kurta.

"And you'd be whipped in the literal sense very soon if you don't stop laughing, Leorio," Kurapika replied through clenched teeth. To back the blonde up on his threat, I pulled out my whip and smiled the evilest smile I could muster. I was more than willing to do it, you know.

"_#403, Leorio-sama." _All four of us looked up. Well, actually it was the three of us because Leorio bolted as soon as he heard his name.

"Saved by the bell," I murmured as I glared at the general direction Leorio went.

"The timing is uncanny," Kurapika grunted.

"So, there's really nothing going on?"

I fought the urge to slap my forehead again at Gon's question. "No, Gon. Nothing's going on."

"Really?"

"Really." I shot the boy a look. "Don't look too disappointed, kid."

=oOo=

"One win is all you need to pass."

My eyes glanced at the remaining applicants. Aside from the five of us, there was Pokkle, Hisoka, an old man, a man with a lot of needles and a baldy. An amused huff escaped my lips at the sight of the shaved head person. He was the one who was also following the Amori Brothers around.

All in all, it looked like that one win was going to be easy. Unless, of course, I somehow got to fight Hisoka. That was an entirely different story. And maybe Killua too. And the dude with the pins. Freaky that one was.

"And here is the bracket." With one smooth motion, the old man pulled off the tape covering our lineup.

My eyebrows rose as I processed the supposed lineup. Gon was going to go up against the baldy. I was going to fight the old man. Kurapika was going to fight Hisoka. My thoughts came to a screeching halt on that one. I turned to the Kurta, but he already had this eerily calm look on his face. Not the least bit worried, but he was probably running through a few scenarios already in that smart little brain of his. Once everything was cleared up – hoorah for the no killing rule – the first match began, meaning Gon versus Hanzo.

As soon as it started though, it became evident that Gon was way, way outclassed in terms of skill. I flinched as I watched Hanzo land a blow at the back of the boy's neck. That was going to hurt.

It went on like that for quite some time. Hanzo would ask Gon to surrender and with each time the boy showed his stubbornness, a blow to his already spinning head – or to anywhere it hurt really. The man knew what he was doing and it didn't take long for me to feel drained just by watching. There was a reason why I picked Gon when Netero asked me who I didn't want to fight and it was because it'd break my heart to see the bright boy get hurt. I didn't realize, however, that it would hurt to watch him get beat up too.

But by some twist of fate, everything became so funny that my stomach began to ache. By the gods, even Hisoka was laughing normally. _Hisoka._ And if there was anything I've learned about that psychopath was that his name and the word 'normal' should never be together in a sentence, except when the word 'not' was in between them.

"So let's find a different way to fight!"

"Hey… Do you understand your own situation?!"

I breathed a sigh of relief, a small smile tugging on my lips as the fight continued on. Well, it wasn't much of a fight anymore since they were really just debating right now.

In the end, Hanzo ended up surrendering and though Gon didn't like winning like that, he couldn't really complain once he got knocked out.

And with that, the next match was set to begin. Bodoro versus me.


	13. Chapter 13

_Bodoro versus me._

=oOo=

My eyes grew wide and my mouth fell open. "You _what_?!"

Bodoro closed his eyes and clasped his hands behind himself. "I surrender. I cannot fight a woman," he calmly explained. "I had told Chairman Netero that I would not fight you, or either of the two children, and I will remain firm with my decision. That said, I surrender."

I should really be relieved, you know. I'd get to pass without having to beat someone up into a bloody pulp until they surrendered, but who in the world wanted to win _this_ way. I was being _insulted_ here. My grip around my weapon tightened. "Let me get this straight… You're telling me that you won't fight me, that you're going to let me win, just because I'm a goddamn _girl_?!"

"Yes."

I was pretty sure a vein of mine popped somewhere. "_Bullshit_!" I growled, throwing my whip onto the ground just to vent out some of my frustration. "You can't just do that!"

An amused chuckle came from the audience. "Oh, but he _can_," Netero chirped from his spot with all of the other Examiners. "This match has ended. Congratulations, Demina-kun, on passing the Hunter Exam."

"But-"

"I admire your verve, Demina-san." I turned back to my supposed opponent and I couldn't help but frown at the calm look on his face. "It has been a pleasure meeting you." With that the old man walked away and got back to his spot. I was left standing there, panting and humiliated. Sure, I wanted to become a Hunter, but I wanted to _earn_ it too. This… This just felt _so_ wrong. I bit down on my lip, picked up my weapon and marched my way back to my spot between Leorio and Kurapika.

Judging from the looks they were giving me, I must've looked pretty mad or something. Then again, I _was_. I was mad at Bodoro for being such a jerk with virtues. I was mad at myself for being so immature about it. I was mad at Leorio and Kurapika for being the good, worried friends they were. I might be bordering batshit crazy from time to time, but that didn't mean I couldn't take care of myself.

I could tell the two older boys wanted to say something to at least get me to simmer down, but Kurapika was called up a little too soon to get his and Hisoka's match over and done with. My scowl grew deeper at that. Hisoka versus Kurapika. I had never really seen the Kurta fight seriously – his match with the blue convict was not really all that serious aside from the fact Kurapika went Scarlet Eyes on us – but I knew that the blonde was way, way, _way_ out of his league on this one.

I should know. I technically fought Hisoka. Not really the most pleasant of things, you know.

The match started soon enough and unsurprisingly, the psychopath was taking it easy. Just like mine and Gon's little run in with him back in the swamps, the whole thing was kind of like a game for him. I watched every block, dodge and counter the red-head made and I could see he wasn't even trying to fight back. But then Hisoka pulled out a card and it caused me to narrow my eyes. What was he going to do?

I found some comfort in Netero's earlier announcement that killing an applicant wasn't allowed, but that didn't mean Kurapika wouldn't get hurt, _badly_. Found myself shuddering at the idea that the blonde would also end up with a serious injury like Gon's. If Kurapika got hurt, I'd… Stop. Stop right there, Demina. There ain't nothing you should do. Sure, I could be worried, but there was no need to get all protective.

The sound of Kurapika's wooden swords falling to the ground tore me away from my thoughts and I couldn't help but be suspicious of whatever it was Hisoka whispered to him. The man then surrendered, leaving a very pale and very startled Kurta.

"What was that all about?" Leorio asked as soon as the blonde got back to us, but he simply shook his head and decided to mope against the wall. "Oi, Kurapika!" The older teen made to go after him, but I quickly grabbed Leorio by the arm and pulled him back to my side. "Mina?"

I shook my head. "Leave him be," I sighed, discreetly watching the Kurta tiredly lean against the wall. There was this lost look on his face that really unnerved me. I mean, this was Kurapika we were talking about. He was usually prepared for anything – to a certain degree – and for him to be out of his game was really a bit troubling. "He needs his space, not an old man acting like an overly attached girlfriend." He shot me a glare.

"Says the overly attached girlfriend," he mumbled as he shrugged off my hand and turned back his eyes to the next match: Hanzo versus Pokkle. Couldn't really say that this match was going to be remotely fair either if Hanzo's performance between him and Gon was anything to go by.

Crossing my arms, I argued, "I am _not _overly attached and I am _not_ anyone's girlfriend." I inwardly flinched when I saw Pokkle being thrown onto the ground. That gotta hurt. "Besides, I wouldn't worry too much about Kurapika. He's stubborn, but he's rarely reckless." Leorio glanced at me, a small smile on his face. "What?" I asked, frowning.

"Nothing," he chuckled. "It's just that you're pretty harsh for someone who cares." I could feel my face heating up and it made me frown even more.

"Oh shut up."

=oOo=

I sullenly looked at the black folder resting on the desk in front of me. I should be happy – elated, even – since I passed and could hunt down a certain goddamn bastard without any repercussions, but there was this sick feeling at the pit of my stomach that kept me from jumping up and down in glee. I mean, who would if their friend killed someone and failed the Hunter Exam?

There was a grim air hanging around the room and it was nothing less the uncomfortable. Killua had left wordlessly heading for god-knows-where and we were led into another room to discuss certain… matters. A sigh escaped my lips as I slumped over the desk in front of me. Not really the most appropriate of things to do while we were discussing Killua's case, but I was too blue to bother with formalities. I didn't even get to do anything and here I was, worn out and depressed. Sure, Killua was an ass, but he was still my friend. He was a murderer – an _assassin_ – but he was a kid trying to change his ways. He wanted to be good for a change.

He wanted to be friends with Gon.

Gon.

How would he react? I was pretty sure that Satotz-san went off to check on the kid and if Gon found out about what would happen, all hell would break lose. Gon and Killua were best friends and the boy in green wouldn't take having his friend disqualified lightly. Especially when he would find out that Killua's brother – whose name was actually Illumi – pulled of some sort of sick mind game on the white-haired brat. He'd be mad. No, he'd be _furious_.

I flinched and righted myself at the sound of the door slamming open. Like everyone else, I turned around and much to my surprise, it was Gon. And like I had expected, he didn't look too happy.

"We happened to be discussing this very subject, Gon," the Chairman cut in, interrupting Gon and Illumi's heated argument, though it was really just Gon who was frustrated. "Kurapika, Demina and Leorio have also lodged complaints. The committee has been discussing the fairness of Killua's disqualification."

The Kurta beside me stood up from his seat. "Killua had been behaving in a strange manner during and after his battle with the man who called himself Gittarackur. I believe that he was hypnotized into committing murder."

Hypnosis. A bit farfetched really, but it wasn't impossible. Actually, I felt like it'd be more likely the cause of psychological stress brought about by Illumi's threats. Killua must've failed to cope and his habit of killing people got the best of him.

Then Leorio stood up and pointed out another possibility. That Killua intervened in order to protect him. It was also plausible, but since Killua possessed the ability to accurately predict outcomes of battles, he must've seen that Leorio had the upper hand in his battle. Besides, Bodoro was already weak thanks to the damage he took form Hisoka.

Another sigh left me as I propped an elbow on the desk and rested my chin on my palm. I must've looked pretty bored with all this talk about Killua, but I was really, really concerned. Either way, Netero dismissed both ideas. Like I said, hypnosis was too far a stretch and Bodoro and Leorio were kinda at par. Killua didn't have to step in.

"There was some other funny business happening," Pokkle suddenly added, causing me to straighten myself yet again when he turned our way. "Like when you fought Hisoka." I stole a glance at the blonde and I could tell he was a bit surprised by the sudden turn of events. "Back then, what did he say to you?"

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at the kid's tone. He didn't need to know. Hell, even _I_ didn't know. Not that I _should_.

What started out to be a discussion on whether or not Killua should've been disqualified turned into an argument on who should've passed. It got overbearing really and it was all I could do to stop myself from thanking Gon and the Chairman for ending the stupid debate. With that, the orientation went on and Beans informed us of our privileges as Hunters. Not that he needed to anyway. After all, we were all here because we knew about the things a license would get us.

"Then, we now declare the eight members here to be Hunters!"

=oOo=

So the plan was to save Killua's ass from his freak show of a family. Sounded simple enough really. We also had the directions to his place to boot. All we needed now was to get our asses over there and just get this thing over with.

But before everything else, I needed to make a phone call.

I cast a sideways glanced at the three boys who were waiting for me at the curb as I picked up the payphone. I pinned the cold, plastic thing between my shoulder and my cheek while I began pushing a few coins into the large metal case and dialed a number.

"Mina, hurry up!"

"Gon, I swear that if you don't stop rushing me I'll-"

"_Good morning, Dr. Rikino's office."_

I blinked, pulled away a bit and frowned at the handset for a few moments before putting it back to my ear. Since when did Serena have a secretary? "Yeah, hello. Can I talk to Serena, please? Tell her it's Mina."

"_Mina?!" _I winced at the shrill voice. _"Oh my __**god**_**.**_ You finally called! Everyone was so worried and we were all thinking the worst and we-"_

I frowned even deeper. "Sorry but… Who's this?"

There was a brief pause before the woman on the other end replied. _"I'm hurt, Mina. It's me, Vika, like, you're all time dung duty partner. You've been gone for what? Like a month and you already can't remember me?"_

My eyes grew wide. "Vika!" I squealed. "How'd you- Why'd you-? You sound like a chipmunk on helium on the phone!" I laughed and my friend began laughing with me. "What're you doing at the clinic?"

"_And you sound like a strangled sheep,"_ Vika shot back good-naturedly. _"It's just another gig. Dad's got a bad back again so I'm working doubles for now."_

"Oh, tough luck," I mused, twirling the telephone cord around my finger. Vika was one of my friends from the ranch. Loud and a bit wild, dung duty would turn into dung fights when the two of us got together. Of course, she'd always start it – I wouldn't for the life of me touch anything's poop just for the hell of it – but I wouldn't go down without a fight. "Tell Uncle Rye I said hi and to get well soon."

"_I will,"_ my friend hummed. _"Right, so you were looking four Aunt Serena?"_

"Yeah. Can you go get her for me? And make it quick, 'cause I've got a few buddies waiting for me."

"_Buddies? Are they guys? Are they cute? Are you going to bring them over? Bring them over, come on! From one girl to another! Mina, introduce them to meee!"_

I couldn't help but make a face at my friend's whining. Did I ever mention she was a bit boy crazy too? I didn't? Oh well. "Vika. Come on. Get Serena for me."

"_I bet you just don't want me to steal your man, huh Mina?"_ Vika grumbled and just had to slap my forehead at that one. Gods. Even Vika._"Silence means yes, Mina."_

"Oi! What's taking you so long?" Leorio. You just had to open your mouth right now.

"_Who's that?! Is that one of your buddies? Let me talk to hiiiim!"_

An eyebrow of mine twitched. "For the love of humanity…" I sighed. "How can Serena _not _hear your squealing, Vika? You know, if she's not there, you can just tell me. I'll just call another time."

Vika huffed. _"Killjoy. You used to be a lot more fun."_

"Vika…"

"_Alright, alright. Auntie's out right now,"_ the girl finally answered. _"She took off for Umbel earlier this morning. Said she'll be back before supper and asked me to take care of things … Except emergencies, of course. Told me to call if anything serious came up."_

"Umbel? What's she doing in Umbel?" I asked. Umbel was a town a few miles north of Corymb and was pretty large. The two weren't real all that different, except for the fact that Umbel was a lot more urbanized. More cars, people and a lot less space for livestock was still a pretty peaceful place.

"_I dunno. She didn't tell me. I'll tell you what though. Serena's been keeping to herself a lot these days,"_ Vika murmured. _"She rarely goes out anymore since you left, you know. Only for groceries and her usual morning walks. Even Chester down at the bakery is wondering what's got her so out of it, but I guess she's really just worried about you. After Aster never came back and all. Can't really blame her, you know. You guys might not be related, but you're like a daughter to her and she doesn't want to lose another kid."_

"I…" I shook my head. I knew Serena'd be sad, but if what Vika said was true – probably was too – maybe I'd have to go back sooner rather than later. "I know, I know," I quietly hummed. "Don't me all depressed and shit. Just tell Serena I'm fine, and that I passed. I won't be coming home any time soon, but I will. I promise."

"_Alright. I'll remember to tell her that,"_ Vika chirped._ "Mina's fine. Mina passed. Mina won't be back soon, but she will,"_ she chanted. _"Mina's fine. Mina passed Mina…"_ There was a pause. _"__**You passed?!**__"_

I chuckled. "Hell yeah, I did!"

"_Alright! That's a thousand jennies for me!"_

"Wait. What?!"

"_Uh…"_

I narrowed my eyes. "You didn't."

"_Uhh…"_

"You _did_. Honestly, Vika!"

"_At least I bet on you!"_ the girl argued. _"Wenalyn and Fritz thought you'd fail. Besides, I didn't start it. Marcel did! Marcel did!"_

I reached a hand up to my face and punched the bridge of my nose. "Should've known… Tell Marcel I'm gonna eat him alive when I get back. And Wenalyn and Fritz too." I glanced at the display. I had a little under a minute left. "Hey, I'm almost out of time and I really gotta run, Vika."

"_D'aww… Alright. Take care, Mina. See you soon."_

"Yeah, you too. Remember to tell Serena I'm fine, alright?"

"_Will do, as long as you introduce me to one of your new friends."_

An amused huff escaped my lips. This girl never learned. "Do you want an old geezer, a dense kid, an assassin or a smartass blonde?"

"Mina, we're not _that_ far away." I turned and stuck out my tongue at the Kurta.

"_Just bring them over one of these days. I have a __**lot**__of juicy secrets to tell them."_

"Vika!"

"_Bye, Mina!"_ she sang. _"Love you!"_

"… Love you too," I mumbled, heat rushing up to my face. It was still kinda awkward to say that. I wasn't really too big on the 'L' word, whether serious or not. As soon as I said those words, the line went dead and I placed the handset back to where it belonged. A sigh escaped my lips and it was weird that I felt a lot more tired than I should be. I stiffened up though, when I remembered I had an audience. "What are you guys looking at?" I muttered, shooting them a glare. Leorio blinked, looked away and began to whistle. Because _that_ really made people look innocent.

"I take it that wasn't Serena?" Kurapika asked.

I shook my head. "It was a friend," I sighed, shoving my hands into the pockets of my shorts. "I asked her to send a message though. Hopefully, Serena gets it."

"So we're good to go?" I couldn't help but smile and nod at the boy's anticipation. "Alright Killua, we're coming to save you."


	14. Chapter 14

_Not really too happy with this one, but nevertheless, enjoy the unwarranted fluff._

* * *

"_Alright Killua, we're coming to save you."_

=oOo=

A sudden chill ran down my spine as soon as we stepped into the Zoldyck Estate. Well, I should've seen that coming, but it was still pretty creepy. After a three days on an airship, two hours on a train and a little over an hour on a bus, we had finally made it to Killua's place. The only problem was that getting in wasn't as simple as we had planned. Actually, the only reason that we got to step foot in the assassins' property and not get eaten alive by a demon guard dog was because Zebro, the guard, warmed up to Gon and decided to help us out.

"Hey…" Leorio grunted, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen. "Is it really alright for us to come in?"

"Yes," Zebro hummed, nodding his balding head. "You'll be safe because you passed through the Testing Gate." The old man then turned to the woods. "Mike! Come here!"

My eyes grew wide as soon as the creature stepped out of the shadows. Demon guard dog was an understatement. From the vibe I was getting from that thing, he could've been the devil's pet for all I knew. A small squeak escaped my lips as I took a step back, beads of sweat already beginning to roll down my face. It was seriously getting harder and harder to breathe. Its very presence was enough to have the four of us rooted to the spot, and it was just insane.

I felt my hands twitch and grow warmer with every passing second and I couldn't help but ball them up into fists. Not now. This was exact same feeling I had during the Third Phase of the Hunter Exam, and during that time Illumi went all freaky on Killua. It was fear with a bit of desperation mixed in, and it was not a pleasant feeling.

Any hope of beating that thing to get Killua was effectively shot down and even Gon admitted to that.

"Well, how long will you be staying here?" Zebro asked. I blinked and swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. Gotta give the old guy some credit. He could stand in Mike's presence and not be a sweating mess.

"Until we see Killua!" Gon declared, suddenly snapping out of his trance. "We won't leave before then!"

=oOo=

"Holy shit!" I cursed as I dragged the heavy vest off of the table and got pulled down by the sheer weight of the thing.

"How is this so heavy…" Leorio grunted, dropping to the floor on all fours. At least he managed to get his on. Gon, Kurapika and I could barely even get ours off of the floor. The idea was that we'd get to train and work together to open the Testing Gate. But with what Zebro was throwing at us – five hundred-kilogram bathroom doors, anyone? – it was kinda hard not to get a tad bit pessimistic about things.

But we were serious about not leaving until we got to see Killua, so we had to do this.

The morning after, we finally got adjusted to those weights and tried our luck with the Testing Gates, but we didn't even so much as make it creak. The morning after that, we tried again and the same thing happened. Every morning for three days, we trained and tried to open that goddamn, bloody gate.

A sigh escaped my lips as I slipped of my vest and dropped it on the floor with a loud thud. I stretched from side to side, easing out all the stiffness I got from the day's training. Gods, how long was this gonna go on?

Another thud echoed right behind me and I turned around just in time to see Leorio jump into bed and fall right to sleep. An amused huff escaped me. "He's the only one I know who can fall asleep before hitting the bed," I mused. "Comes with the age, I guess."

I raised an eyebrow as the older teen raised a finger. "I heard that," he sleepily slurred before resuming his snoring.

"We'll get it tomorrow," Gon grunted as he made his way over to his bed. "I'm sure of it." I couldn't help but smile at the boy's optimism. He didn't get to work with us because his arm was still broken which really upset him, but his support was as good as any.

I passed by the boy to pat his head and walked over to my own bed. "Well, see you in the morning guys," I hummed before plopping myself down on the foam.

"Good night, Mina."

"Good night, Gon. Nighty-night Kurapika."

"Good night, Mina."

=oOo=

_I blinked once._

_Then twice._

_Then three times._

_Where the hell was I?_

_I was really positive that I was dreaming and I should be awake by now since I knew that I was, but I was still stuck in the middle of forest-y nowhere. In all fairness, my imagination made everything so realistic, and if it weren't for the shine everything had and the knowledge that I should be sound asleep in a bed, I would've bought it. On a side note, it was a refreshing change. I haven't had a good dream in like, what? Weeks? Months? Couldn't really remember._

_With a soft huff, I got myself up onto my feet and began wandering around. There wasn't really anything else to do, you know. Besides, the scenery was nice. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like... like… I came to a stop when the idea crossed my mind. Like I'd been here before._

_This wasn't just __**any**__ dream. This was a __**memory**__._

_My earlier slow pace picked up and soon enough, I was running through the woods, my eyes darting from side to side looking for anything to strike me. It wasn't too often that I'd get these kinds of dreams. Well actually, this was kinda the first time. Most of my memories would just pass by as flashes, not long dreams._

"_Hello?" I called out, my voice sounding a little too desperate than it should be. "Is anyone there?"_

_I heard something shuffle in the bushes and I immediately headed for that direction. It didn't take me too long before I found something. Well, it was more of a __**someone**__ than a something. I found a little girl picking flowers. She was doing a pretty good job at it too. Most kids her age would snatch the unsuspecting thing with their stubby little hands, but that wasn't the point here. The point was that little girl looked hell of a lot like me._

_Now I wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but those golden eyes, that dark brown hair… I was pretty sure that if we stood right beside each other, we could pass off as mother and daughter. Or we could be the same person. There was always that._

_Frowning a bit, I took a step closer, careful not to make a sound. Which I eventually found silly because this wasn't real. So I took the liberty of walking up to the kid – me, mini-me, whatever – and crouched down to her level. As expected, she was completely oblivious to my presence and went on picking herself some more of the bright yellow things while she hummed to herself. The tune was very familiar and tugged at my heart as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the little girl's melody._

_But not even five minutes had passed when I heard something snap. My eyes snapped wide open and darted from side to side to check where it had come from. The kid in front of me was equally startled and from what I could tell, she was a bit nervous._

"_Mama?" she hesitantly called out, as she took a step away from the trees surrounding her. "Grandpa?" She sounded pretty worried and I couldn't help but feel a wee bit concerned too. Where were this kid's parents? Why the hell was she all alone in the woods? "Mama?" she called out again, her voice a lot softer than the last time._

_My heart was beginning to race a little as the quiet seconds stretched on. I reached down for my whip, only to find that it wasn't there. I glanced behind me and much to my surprise, I saw several glowing blue strands dangling from her hands._

"_W-Who's there? I… You better come out before I do something to hurt you."_

_I was taken a back at that one. Gutsy kid. My amusement, however, was cut short when I heard dark chuckles come from the trees. I quickly focused my attention back to my surroundings. This was __**so**__not going to end well, I could tell._

_As if on cue, the little girl shrieked and I turned around to see several men in dark clothes jump her. The kid did her best to fight them off – yes, __**fight**__ – with her strings that proved to be __**very**__ sharp, but a grunt caught her from behind and covered her mouth and nose with a piece of cloth._

_My eyes grew wide as I processed the whole thing._

_No._

_Somehow, my eyelids began to feel heavy just like the little kid, but I tried to fight it and dragged myself over to the girl. She was still thrashing and whipping her strings back and forth, but those blue things were slowly disappearing and her movements were getting sluggish. The world around me gradually began to spin and as a last resort, I reached out a hand towards her. And I almost caught her too, but there was this one little problem._

_My hand passed right through hers._

=oOo=

With a sharp gasp, I pushed myself up on the bed, my eyes as wide as they could go and my heart still racing. It took me several deep breaths before I could pull myself together, and when I did, I ran a shaky hand over my sweating face. That… Whatever _that_ was, it took a lot out of me.

I trembled a bit as the sensations from the dream, that memory, came back and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around my legs. A soft whimper escaped my lips as I buried my head deeper into my knees and it was then that I realized I couldn't stop shaking.

Air.

That's right. I just needed some fresh air to calm me down and I wasn't going to get any of that cooped up in this room. Lifting my head, I checked on my friends. Leorio was sleeping like a log and even Kurapika was sound asleep. But when my eyes reached Gon's bed, I found it empty. His training vest wasn't even there either. My eyebrows pulled together.

Where could that kid be?

I got onto my feet, careful not to make a sound and wake up my buddies and sneaked out.

Outside, the air was cool and the forest was quiet, but despite the serene surroundings, I couldn't help but feel a little on edge. Sure, Mike wasn't going to eat us since we got in through the Testing Gate, but I was _so_ not going to take any chances. I still wandered into the woods though and it didn't take me too long before I found a certain boy in green that was supposed to be taking it easy.

Stubborn. Absolutely stubborn. Stubborn as a mule.

"Gon!" I hissed. The kid was definitely startled and lost his balance, toppling over from his one-hand push-ups. "What're you doing?"

"M-Mina?" he gasped, his amber eyes wide with surprise. "What're you doing out here?"

I crossed my arms, a steady frown on my face. "You know, it's kinda rude to answer a question with a question," I huffed. "But I guess it's already pretty obvious what you're up to…" Really. It _was_, and it had the looking and feeling guilty already. "Look, Gon, I understand. Really, I do, but you have to let your arm recover first. It might've been a clean break, but you'll never know…"

Gon lowered his gaze, but I could tell that he wasn't going to go down without a fight. "You'd do it for your friend, wouldn't you?" His question caught me off guard and my frown deepened. "You'd do anything to find him, right?"

"Of course I would…" I grunted, immediately realizing that I was going to lose this argument. I'd do anything and risk everything to find Aster, to see Serena happy again.

"A broken arm won't hold you back, right?" he continued. "Killua's my close friend and I can't just-"

Closing my eyes, I raised a hand to stop him from talking anymore. Geez. This kid was kinda brutal when it came to these things. "Alright already," I muttered. "I give. Do what you want, but I ain't passing up on an opportunity to rub this in your face when things get awry, ya hear?"

The boy blinked before beaming at me and getting back to his workout. "So why are you still up, Mina?" he asked after a few seconds of silence. "I was sure all of you were asleep when I left."

Sighing, I plopped myself down on the ground and leaned back against a tree. "I had a dream…"

Gon hummed. "It must have been a bad dream if you had to go out in the middle of the night," he mused.

I raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

"You wouldn't be awake if it wasn't, Mina," he simply answered and I wasn't really sure if he had a point or not.

But I was still amused by his reasoning. "Well, I guess it _was_ a bad dream…" I began, "…but I'm pretty sure it wasn't _just_ a dream."

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's a memory of mine," I replied, shrugging. "I saw a younger me and the whole place felt kinda familiar." I heaved a sigh. "It couldn't be just a coincidence."

"Then that should be good, right?" he asked as he stopped from his exercising and sat on the ground. "You're getting your memories back and you'll get to find out who your parents are."

"Yeah, I guess but…" My eyes grew wide. I never told Gon I was looking for my parents. "Kurapika told you, didn't he?" I quietly asked, my gaze falling to the grass around me.

"He didn't want to," Gon told me. "But we were still worried and we forced him to tell us."

"When?"

"During the Fourth Phase, while we were looking for Leorio's target," the boy honestly replied.

An unamused huff escaped my lips. "So Leorio knows too…" I murmured. "What _exactly_ did he tell you?"

Gon gave me a look, but nevertheless he told me what he knew. I found myself feeling guilty though that I doubted Kurapika for a second because Gon gave me a toned down version of my story. Just a general idea of what was going on with me. That my memories would resurface from time to time and that I'd freak out when they did. That I was looking for Aster because I owed Serena a lot and that I wanted to find my parents to give me some peace of mind. That I didn't want to become someone I didn't want to be when I got everything back.

"I see…" I hummed.

Gon nodded. "Please don't blame Kurapika. He's also worried he won't be enough to help you, so he told us." A small smile tugged on my lips at the boy's words. I couldn't help but feel warm inside. They were being too nice. _Kurapika_ was being too nice. Aw. Now I felt like I owed him even more than I already did. "But just so you know Mina, no matter who you turn out to be, we'll always be friends." I blinked. "Always."

Huffing, I hopped onto my feet with a smile on my face. "Always is a pretty long time, Gon," I chuckled. "Are you sure you're up to it?" The boy nodded and I just had to chuckle at how serious he looked about it. "I'll be heading back then. Thanks for the talk Gon," I hummed, waving a hand as I headed back for the house.

Back in the room, I found the two older teens still sound asleep, just like I left them. A smile was still on my face as I made my way back to my bed, but I found myself stopping at the foot of a certain blonde's bed. Warmth steadily began to creep up my face as I watched the boy sleep for a while until I realized I was being creepy. I hesitated in waking him up for a few seconds, but in the end, I sat down at edge of his and gently began shaking the blonde's shoulder.

It didn't take much to wake the Kurta up and soon enough, he was pushing himself up on the bed. "M-Mina?" he yawned as he rubbed his eyes. "Why are you still up? Is anything wrong?"

There he was again. Getting worked up over nothing. "Nah, everything's just perfect," I hummed, smiling softly.

Kurapika made a face. "Then why wake me up?"

I shrugged. "I just felt the need to do this." Without another word, I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his shoulder and smiling to myself. I could feel the Kurta stiffen, but he eventually relaxed and even hugged me back. "Thanks, Kurapika, for… well, everything, I guess," I quietly said. We stayed like that for a few seconds before I chuckled. "Well, finally got that out of my system," I chirped when I tried to pull away, but the blonde kept me close. "Kurapika…"

His hold around me tightened. "Just another few seconds," I heard him murmur. He was probably saying it to himself, but with how close we were, I heard every single word of it and it had my face heating up.

"…Fine."

=oOo=

A smile stretched wide across my face as the Testing Gate finally opened and we stumbled into the Zoldyck Estate. By we, I meant me and Gon because we were the unlucky two that had to push in the middle, but that wasn't really important right now. We finally got that damn door to open and we were that much closer to getting to see Killua.

"We did it!" I cheered, hooking my arm around Gon's neck and digging my knuckles into his head. "We actually did it!"

"I told you we'd get it today," Gon laughed as he tried to push my hand off.

"Yes!" Leorio cried out triumphantly, balling his hand into a fist, and Gon and I laughed even more. Things were really looking up.

Speaking of up, I found Kurapika's hand in front of my face and looked up to see him smiling like the rest of us. I blinked, feeling a slight warmth rush to my cheeks, before I took it and felt myself being pulled back up to my feet. "Thanks," I chirped, beaming at the blonde who in turn, grew a shade of red and turned away. "Ei?"

"Mina! Kurapika! Come on!" Gon eagerly called. "We're going to leave you behind!"

An eyebrow of mine went up, noticing just how far he, Leorio, Zebro and Seaquant already were. How'd they get all the way there that fast? "Oi! Wait up you impatient little boy!" I chuckled as I ran after them. "Hurry up Kurapika. Gon'll eat you alive if you don't get your ass over there any sooner." The older teen made a face and picked up his pace.

Yep, things were really looking up.


	15. Chapter 15

_Yep, things were really looking up._

=oOo=

_Whack._

I inwardly winced as the wound of metal against bone echoed throughout the air. That was what? The forty-first time already? I couldn't really tell since I was pretty torn between what I should be focusing on. Gon being beat up, or the unfamiliar presence that was hiding in the trees. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. It really did suck having to watch Gon get swung at by that assistant butler, but he himself asked us to stay back, so we stayed back.

_Whack._

"Stop it…" I heard the butler murmur as Gon made his way back up to her for the forty-third time. "Stay away!" But Gon didn't listen and sticking to her orders, she swung her staff at him again to push him back. "Cut it out!" she exclaimed, her frustration getting the best of her. "Don't you realize how futile this is?! Why don't you stop him? Aren't you his friends?"

Believe me, I would've loved to, but like I said, Gon wanted to take care of this on his own, so we let him.

"What's the problem?" Gon evenly asked. "I'm just here to see my friend. I'm just here to see Killua! Why do I have to do this?!" Out of anger, the boy in green punched one of the two concrete pillars and destroyed it.

My earlier straight face softened a little when the girl finally gave up on trying to keep the boy at bay. That kid really had a certain way with people that was pretty effective. Reckless, but definitely effective. But just as I had thought this part was over, I sensed another person's presence and it had me running towards Gon and the butler, Canary.

"Watch out!"

But I was too late and I came skidding to a stop just as Canary dropped to the ground. Gon and I immediately turned to where that blow came from and I narrowed my eyes at sight of a lady in a rather large dress with an equally outrageously large hat, and a boy in a kimono.

"You must be Gon," the lady hummed as she took a few steps forward. Her voice was eerily calm for someone who just shot a person. "I heard about you from Illumi. Killua knows that you're here. I have a message for you from Kil… 'Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it. But I cannot see you right now. Sorry.'"

Well wasn't that the largest load of bullshit I had ever heard?

Thankfully, Canary was just unconscious, but that didn't change the fact that we had a psychopathic lady in our hands. What's worse was that the hag was Killua's mom. His _crazy_ mom. The lady suddenly started screaming –pretty sure it wasn't directed at us though – and took off, along with that girl-looking son of hers.

"I probably shouldn't say it, but these people creep me out…" Leorio murmured as soon as they were out of sight and the man couldn't have been more right. He suggested to tail them, but Gon pointed out we couldn't leave Canary all alone. She'd take all the blame and end up pretty much dead.

"I will take you to the butler's office," said butler suddenly grunted, her eyes finally opening and she gently pushed herself up. "There is a phone that connects to the mansion. If Zeno-sama is the one who answers…"

"Zeno-sama?" Gon echoed.

Canary nodded. "He is Killua-sama's grandfather."

=oOo=

What the hell was wrong with this place?!

Honestly, I was beginning to understand Gon's frustration. I mean, come _on._ We just wanted to see Killua and now we have to play a guessing game to earn us that right?

But really, I was just being bitter because I got disqualified the first round. Wasn't my fault something got caught in my eye when Gotoh, the Zoldyck's head butler, went all crazy with his coin flipping-slash-catching. What's worse was that if we didn't play along, Canary'd get killed after helping us out.

Next to get disqualified was Leorio, then Kurapika. With Gon our only hope now, the boy had to make himself bleed so he could see better. And the boy didn't disappoint. Gon won and as soon as he did, Killua came walking into the room, looking as beat up as Gon was.

"Gotoh, is Gon there yet?"

"Killua!"

"Oh! You're here Gon!" the white-haired brat exclaimed as he rushed over to us. "Along with… Kurapika?"

"I'm just an afterthought?"

"Liorio!"

"Leorio!" the older teen corrected.

"And Onee-chan!"

I made a face. "Why do I have the feeling you actually don't know my name?" I sighed, slumping back against the sofa.

"It's been a while," Killua happily said. "I can't believe you came. What happened? Your face is a wreck." An amused huff escaped my lips. He should speak for himself, you know.

"Yours isn't any better!" the boy in green shot back good naturedly and the two boys laughed the whole thing off.

After a few last minutes instructions from both Killua and Gotoh, we bolted. I was pretty sure none of us was willing to run into any more of Killua's relatives.

=oOo=

A steady frown stretched across my face. "Are you sure she's alright?" I asked for the nth time as I fiddled with the telephone wire.

An exasperated sigh came from the other end of the line. _"For the hundredth time Mina, yes, she's alright,"_ Vika answered. _"Besides, I'd notice if Auntie was acting weird. Not to be mean or anything, but I've known her __**way**__ longer than you have. Did you know she was my mom's doctor when I was born? I mean, come __**on**__ Mina. Chill. Relax. Breathe a little. Maybe even get a boy-"_

"Alright, alright," I grunted, reaching a hand up to massage my temples. "I'll take your word for it, but-"

"_Look, Mina. Auntie's fine,"_ Vika cut in. I could tell she was getting pretty tired of having to tell me the same thing over and over again, but there was this feeling I couldn't shake off. _"As soon as she got back from Umbel, I told her you passed and were fine, and she was more than happy about it. I even told her about your buddies."_

I rolled my eyes. "But, what did she even do in Umbel?"

"_She said she just visited an old friend." _I bit down on my lower lip. Vika was convinced that everything was fine and I kinda envied her for being so sure about this. _"You're being paranoid again. If I were you, I'd get together with one your buddies and have a good ole-"_

"Vika…" I groaned. "Maybe I should drop by. You know, just to be sure."

My friend huffed. _"Paranoia,"_ she sang. Just then, I heard a bell jingle. That usually meant a patient was in. _"Gotta go, Mina and for the last time, loosen up a little. Have some fun while you're out there. Take care. Love you."_

Sighing, I lowered my gaze. "Love you too, Vika." With that, the line went dead and I heaved another sigh. Vika was right. I was worrying over nothing. I needed to focus on what was important. I needed to hunt down a certain goddamn asshole. Rubbing the back of my neck, I made my way over to the boys who were fussing over something. I took a deep breath and wiped off the frown on my face before dropping in. "So, are we going or what?" I chirped, a wide smile on my face.

Gon beamed at me. "Mina! How'd it go?"

"Fine," I easily replied. "Serena's just busy right now, but she's really happy." A huff escaped my lips. "Even wanted to meet you guys…"

"Really?" the boy in green chirped. "Ne, Killua, wanna go sometime? I haven't been to Saim before. Have you?"

Killua frowned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "We shouldn't be thinking of taking a break right now. You want to give that tag back as soon as possible, right?" Gon made a face. "Sorry, Onee-chan. Maybe next time."

I shrugged. "Nah. It's not like I actually want you guys to go. It's a pretty small town and they'll fuss over the newest thing like a kid with a new toy," I airily said, waving a hand.

"Then I shall depart now," Kurapika then hummed, making us all look his way.

"Huh?"

"We managed to see Killua again, so I'm finished here," he explained, for Gon's sake. "I'll need money to participate in the auction. So I shall search for a patron to employ me as a Hunter." Right. The auction in Yorkshin City on the first of September. He had told us on the train that Hisoka gave him info on the Spiders after the Hunter Exam and though it was kinda fishy just how Hisoka would know something like that, the Kurta didn't have any other lead. Besides, auctions meant expensive things. Expensive things meant thieves. Thieves meant Phantom Troupe.

And then Phantom Troupe meant Kurapika would get into a lot of trouble, and I wouldn't have that. Not alone anyway. We had an agreement, you know.

"Then we better get going, ne?" I sang, threading my arm through his. The blonde stared at me with wide eyes, like I had said the most absurd thing possible. "What? You said we'd do this together, and you kinda owe me for holding back on me."

"But… what about Aster?"

I made a face. "I need connections. I need people who've seen and heard a lot of things," I evenly answered. "Don't you think it'd be pretty efficient if I worked for influential people?" Kurapika considered me for a few moments and I could see it in his eyes that he wasn't going to come up with a sufficient argument that would keep me from tagging along. "Well?" I asked, letting go of him and placing my hands on my hips.

The Kurta frowned, looked away and grew a shade redder. "It's not like I can stop you."

"I'm glad we understand each other," I huffed, nodding. But I scowled a bit when I felt three pairs of eyes on me. I turned to the three boys, all of them grinning and I couldn't help but glare at them. "Stop. Stop it right there."

"We're not doing anything," Killua innocently chirped and I narrowed my eyes even more at the cheeky, white-haired brat whose grin continued to grow wider and wider.

Gon chuckled nervously. "Ne, Leorio, are you going too?"

"Actually…" the older teen began. "I'm planning on heading home. I haven't given up on my dream of becoming a doctor. If I'm accepted in medical school, I can use this to pay for the ridiculous fees. I'll have to go back and start cramming."

The boy smiled. "Okay. Good luck then."

With that, all five of us headed for the airport and Leorio, Kurapika and I grabbed ourselves some tickets. Couldn't really say that I wasn't sad that we'd all be splitting up, but I kinda found some sort of comfort in knowing we'd see each other again in Yorkshin. Of course, we'd be facing pretty dangerous people – alright, we were going to face _very_ dangerous people – but at least we knew. At least _I_ knew and wouldn't have to wait for what? Another four years?

"Until we meet again," Leorio sighed.

Kurapika nodded. "Yes, that will be…"

"September first, in Yorkshin City," we all said in unison.

"See you," the oldest of us five waved as he headed for his gate. I, on the other hand, crouched down to the two twelve-year olds' height and placed hand on each of their heads.

"The two of you," I began, "stay out of trouble and stay safe, ya hear?" The two boys grinned and nodded. Satisfied with their answer – though I really doubted they'd do what I told them – I pulled them close for a hug and patted their heads one last time before getting up. "Behave," I ordered as I followed after the Kurta who had already left without me.

What an ass he really was.

=oOo=

Chewing on the end of my red pen, I glared at the map in front of me. It's been a little over two weeks since the five of us split up and I ended up waiting outside a coffee shop for a certain blonde to come back from the internet café across the street. He tried making me go in, saying that it'd be less troublesome, but I didn't want to go in there. The small place was chock-full of people and if there were any two things that I didn't like being together, then it was small places and lots of people.

Huffing, I propped an elbow on the cold, metal table and rested my chin on the palm of my hand. Two weeks. Two weeks of running around and looking for information on a certain agency that provided Hunters like us with jobs, _special_ jobs. Jobs that we wanted.

I dropped my pen for a moment and picked up my drink. I was at a coffee shop, but I opted to go with tea instead. Coffee didn't really sit well with me. To be honest, I really liked coffee, but it always made me sleepy. When I told Kurapika about it, he just gave me a look, because really, who'd get sleepy with all that caffeine?

My eyes didn't leave the map though. For the past two weeks, we've been trying to locate the agency and so far, we've narrowed it down to a little over a dozen places, mostly isolated, semi-deserted, not-so-pleasant towns. Sure, it was still a lot, but it was better than nothing. My eyes caught sight of a particular town and I immediately put my cup down, took my pen and circled the name. From the info we had on the place – and the feeling I had at the pit of my stomach – it seemed like a likely place for a Hunter's agency to be, just like the other five circles on the map.

Sighing, I tossed the pen back onto the table and leaned back against my chair, my eyes closed. The plan was that once we got to a manageable number of towns, we'd drop by them one by one.

Basically, it was a trial and error kind of thing with a lot of geographical profiling.

I heard a chair shift and pried an eye open. "Anything?" I asked, to which Kurapika replied with a shake of his head. I grunted as I straightened myself and slid the map over to him. "We've been coming up with nothing for a few days now…" I quietly pointed out, watching him examine the map.

"I know," he murmured, his brows furrowing. "You're positive about Dolor?"

I nodded. "Gut feeling." I took a sip out of my green tea and continued to watch him weigh his options. It had been nothing but business since we all separated and I couldn't help but think the blonde was rubbing off on me with his no-nonsense air. Vika noticed too every time I'd call.

Call.

Every time I'd call, Serena was out. It was either she was running some errands in town, visiting a friend somewhere in Saim or requesting some medical supplies. I could feel my brows pull together. Couldn't be coincidence, right? But she couldn't be avoiding me either. I'd call at random times. She'd never figure out when I'd contact them.

"Mina."

I blinked, suddenly feeling something squeeze my hand. "Huh? What?" I looked up and saw the blonde eyeing me, concern written all over his face. "Sorry… I wasn't listening."

Kurapika frowned. "I said that Dolor's a shady place," he told me. "It would be better to go there when we're more prepared."

I nodded. "You think that's place?"

"Your intuition is the most reliable I've seen," he mused. "If you have a good feeling about this, then it is worth the trouble." Again, I nodded before my gaze dropped to my lukewarm cup of tea. "Hey." I hummed in acknowledgement. "Mina, look at me."

"Yep?" I chirped, looking up to meet his brown eyes which were filled with worry. What the hell was he worrying about now?

His hold on my hand tightened and it was only then I noticed he was still holding it in the first place, causing my face to heat up a little. "You've been spacing out a lot lately, Mina," he quietly said. "Is everything alright?"

I managed a soft smile and nodded. "Of course it is," I answered. "I mean, why wouldn't it be?"

The frown on his face deepened. "You're a horrible liar, Demina."

"Or so I've been told, and don't call me that."

"This has something to do with not being able to reach Serena directly, doesn't it?" I inwardly flinched. Blasted, smartass Kurta. Was I really that easy to read, or did he really just know me too well? I couldn't help but frown at that notion though. I didn't know which one was worse.

My silence had Kurapika sighing and he let go of my hand. Sure, it was a bit unnerving, but Vika reassured me every time that Serena was fine. I just really had a problem in believing that. "Why don't we take a break for a while?"

I blinked. "A break?" I echoed and the blonde nodded.

"Yes. We've been working nonstop for quite some time now and I believe the both of us deserve a little time off," he answered.

I blinked again. "B-But… The auction. We still have to find a job that'd get us into that auction and we can't do that if we don't know where this bloody agency is." Kurapika smiled softly and I could've sworn my heart skipped a beat just then. My eyes grew wide when that certain idea crossed my mind. Dear gods, not this again. Killua wasn't here to jump start these kinds of things, so I shouldn't be reacting this way.

"A week's worth of rest couldn't hurt," he hummed, picking up the map and rolling it up. "We could go somewhere, anywhere. You can choose."

My eyebrows pulled together. My choice? Was he really doing what I think he was doing? Sure, I'd tell him that I was worried about Serena, but he wasn't actually going put our plans on hold for a bit just for my sake, was he? "You do realize that I'd choose Corymb, right?" I bluntly pointed out. "It's not like there's anywhere else for me to go…" Kurapika smiled knowingly.

"Then Corymb it is."


	16. Chapter 16

"_Then Corymb it is."_

=oOo=

_Shake._

_Shake. Shake._

_Shake. Shake. Shake._

Growling, I sleepily threw my hands up in the air in a desperate effort to stop Kurapika from shaking my shoulders. I didn't even need to guess who it was since it was pretty much just me and the Kurta in the room. Well actually, we were the only ones _on_ the train. "What is it, you annoying, yellow-haired, smart ass pretty boy?" I grunted, forcing my eyes open. I glanced out the window and my frown grew deeper. "For the love of gods, the sun's barely up yet!"

Kurapika just evenly looked at me. If we weren't like, the closest of friends – yes, emphasis on _friends_ – he'd be snapping at me for being so irritable. Like he wasn't. I couldn't help but huff at that fact. "I just thought you'd want to wash up before we get there," he calmly replied as he moved back to his spot across from me.

Four days ago, Kurapika suggested out of the blue that we should take a break. He gave me the choice of where to go and it was kinda of a no brainer that I wanted to go home. But I guess he pretty much saw that coming since he was pretty content with the turn of events. Not that I was completely sure. I've known the blonde for almost two months now and it was still amazing how one of his faces could mean a lot of things. It was a bit tiring to keep up, but I somehow always got things right. Like when he was in a mood bad enough that I should stay away, or when he was a more depressed than usual that I should slap some sense back into him.

We had taken the next flight to Saim and that took us a full four days. Any longer and I would've jumped off, I tell ya. Once in Raceme, the kingdom's capital, we boarded the next train bound for Corymb. It was another three hour ride, and I slept most of it off since it was the middle of the night when we got on.

It took me a few seconds before Kurapika's words sank in. "We're almost there?" I squealed, rushing over to the window, throwing my blanket and pillow into the air in the process.

I could barely see it at first, but with the sun making its way up ever so slowly, I could make out the quaint town's silhouette. "We're almost there!" I repeated, turning back to my companion with a wide smile on my face. "We're almost there."

Kurapika managed a small smile back and nodded. "We'll be there in a few minutes, from what I can tell. I've already collected our things, so if there's anything you need to do, I suggest you do them now."

"You didn't sleep?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I've had enough rest on the airship, unlike you. I'm sure the benches weren't of much comfort."

I made a face. "Nah, not really," I mumbled, unconsciously reaching behind me to feel my back. Gods. They were aching like hell a day ago until I finally gave up on getting some sleep on that cheapo airship. "I'm guessing you didn't either. Those beds didn't look all that comfy to me."

Shrugging, the Kurta slung his bag over his shoulder. "I managed." I considered the indifferent expression on his face for a few seconds before sighing and getting up to wash my face.

Better look alive when I show myself.

=oOo=

"Are you sure we should be sneaking in like this?" Kurapika worriedly asked as he constantly looked from side to side.

"Kurapika, this is my house, so technically, it's not sneaking in," I huffed as I flipped on the light switch for the living room. With a quick shrug, I plopped my bag onto the maroon-colored sofa and took a quick look around. "Besides, the only one doing any sneaking is you."

The Kurta frowned at that one, finally straightening himself up, and glanced around. "You have a lovely home…"

"Thanks," I hummed, making my way into the kitchen – consequently leaving the blonde on his own – and began sifting through the fridge and the cupboards. Oddly enough, they were a bit barer than usual, but then again, it had been only Serena for quite some time. There wasn't a need to cook up or stock up some extras. "Want anything? Tea? Coffee? Juice? Water? Breakfast?" The last word had me blinking. "Breakfast," I repeated, nodding to myself. There were still a couple of eggs in the fridge, some old bread on the counter, a lot of milk and sugar. Toast. "I'll make breakfast."

Footsteps echoed on the floorboards and I spared a glance. "Need any help?" my blonde friend asked, stopping by the door.

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm good," I airily replied, pulling out a few bowls, a large fork and a trusty spatula. "You just make yourself comfortable on a chair somewhere. This'll be over real quick." But Kurapika was being stubborn today and he placed his bag on the dining table, rolled up his sleeves and shuffled over to me. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and point my spatula at him. "Back. Back, I say. My kitchen, my house, my rules."

The Kurta raised his eyebrows in what I guessed was amusement. Because come on, who wouldn't be the least bit amused if a spatula was used as a weapon. A frying pan, I get, but a spatula? Only I could be stupid enough to use it.

"I'm warning you."

"Because a piece of Teflon would be enough to fend me off," Kurapika mused as he easily pushed away the offending piece of fire-resistant plastic. Not that I was really putting in much effort to counter it. "Let me do that," he stated, grabbing a bowl and cracking open a few eggs before beating them up.

My eyebrows pulled together as I watched him work. This was just… I couldn't even find the right word to describe the whole thing. I mean, Kurapika was in my kitchen, helping me _cook_. If Leorio was here, he'd be laughing, teasing most likely.

Kurapika plus cooking.

I inwardly winced at that idea. Didn't feel like the most awesome of combinations so I tried taking away the utensils from the Kurta. "No," I insisted, grabbing the bowl of beat up eggs and dragging it over to my side of the counter. "My kitchen, my rules."

The blonde gave me an odd look. "Mina, really. Let me help. It's bad enough that I'm intruding," he said, pulling the bowl back to him. I was beginning to have this feeling that we were going to end up with some kind of tug of war that wasn't going to end nicely.

"You're not intruding, Kurapika," I reassured him. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you'd get lost in this kitchen and put something dangerous in our food."

"I think I know what's edible and what's not."

"You _think_," I hummed, pointing my spatula back at him.

He rolled his eyes. "I _know_." I evenly gazed at him and he sighed. "Do you have a problem with my cooking skills?"

My eyebrows shot up. "Oh no, not at all," I answered in the most sarcastic tone possible.

Kurapika sighed again. "Fine, do what you want."

I nodded. "I'm glad we've come to an understanding," I hummed, taking back my bowl of eggs and pouring a good amount of milk in. "Now you just sit back and be a good boy. Read a book or something."

"Is that Aster?"

I flinched at the sound of my 'brother's' name and glanced at whatever it was the blonde was pointing at. It was a picture of the three of us. I was around ten in the photo and Aster should be thirteen. I guess I was still kinda new since Aster had that scowl on his face and was as far away from me as possible in the photo. "Ah, yeah," I sighed as I turned back to what I was doing. "He hated my guts from the moment we met, you know. A real asshole."

My blonde friend huffed. "From personal experience, you make it difficult for people to like you."

"Ha ha, very funny," I grumbled, tossing a few tablespoons of sugar into the milk-egg mixture I had. I should really get the pan going. Turning around, I plucked a pan from one of those hook things hanging from the wall and placed it on the stove before turning on the fire. Grabbing some butter from the fridge, I plopped a good dollop of the thing in.

Dollop. I rarely got to use that word. Sounded real silly.

Grabbing the pan's handle, I began to swirl the yellow blob of fat around. "Sorry I'm not the most amiable person in the world," I spat out, frowning. I kinda realized Kurapika was right and it was a bit troubling that he, of all people, had to say that.

The bitterness in my tone must've been obvious since I heard a chair slide across the floor, creating an irritating screeching sound that was bound to make a scratch on my shiny wooden boards. "Hey, I was just joking."

That had me frowning even more. "You don't joke, Kurapika," I mumbled, leaving the pan to heat up and getting back to the eggs. What was next? Ah, right. Cinnamon. I grabbed the nearby shaker and began shaking. "And even if you do," – which was very unlikely, I tell ya – "I've heard somewhere that jokes are half-meant." It wasn't my fault he got to meet my bad side first. Proof was Gon. The two of us were buddies from the very first day.

But then again, Gon was a sweet kid. I could rip of his hand and he'd still be my friend.

"Mina, you're spacing out again."

I blinked.

"And the butter's burning."

I blinked again before I finally noticed the faint smell of charring. A panicked squeak escaped my lips before I turned around to face the stove, knocking the bowl off of the counter in the process. My eyes grew wide as I found myself slipping on the milk-egg-sugar-cinnamon mixture I made a while ago, another shriek escaping me.

This was _so_ not going to be a good day.

I landed on my back and a chill ran down my spine as the cold, slimy mixture seeped through the fabric of my clothes and soaked me. Cringing, I sat right back up, my butt taking the brunt of the cold liquid.

Yuck.

Kurapika's chair screeched again against my shiny floorboards and his footsteps echoed. "Mina!"

"No, don't! You'll-" The blonde let out his own version of a surprised gasp as he slid. I braced myself for impact and _gods_, was the Kurta _heavy_. "Oof!" I coughed as he landed on top of me. "Get off, get off, get off!" I barked. It was bad enough that I had to land on my back to times on a wet, slimy floor, but Kurapika was _way_ heavier than he looked. And a _lot_ denser.

"Calm down, Mina," the blonde hissed as he tried to get up on his knees, but he kept on slipping.

"Easy for you to say!" I snapped back, doing my best to push myself up too. "You're not the one being used as a floor mat!"

A huff escaped my frustrated friend. "I beg to differ. A floor mat would be a lot quieter."

My mouth fell open at that retort and with that sudden burst of irritation, I tried to get myself up, but ultimately failed. I ended up plopping back to the floor on my back, bringing the Kurta down with me.

This was a bad day alright.

What did I do to deserve this kind of humiliation?

Annoyed, I ran a hand over my face, only to regret it a few seconds later when I realized it was wet with the eggs. A frustrated growl left my lips just as I finally felt Kurapika get his weight off of me. I forced my eyes open to glare at the blonde for putting the two of us in this predicament, but I found it pretty hard to be even least bit angry at him while he was watching me with those brown, cat eyes of his.

Heat rushed up to my face when I realized the position we were in – me under him – and my brain and hear were working overtime to resolve the awkwardness that would come next.

"K-Kurapika…" I managed to say, my voice a lot softer than I wanted it to be. Really, I was supposed to be mad at him, not rendered speechless. A small smile graced his lips and I could've sworn my chest tightened for just a split second. _Gah._ _Stop this nonsense._ "Kurapika," I repeated a bit more firmly now. Hah. Yes. Alright, time to shoo the bastard off of me. "Could you please get-"

_Thwack!_

My eyes grew wide when the blonde suddenly stiffened and fell on top of me one more time. The shock had me pushing myself up and staring at the person standing nearby.

Serena.

With a smoking pan in her hand.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?!"

=oOo=

"I am terribly, _terribly_ sorry about that," Serena repeated for the umpteenth time today. She'd been saying that from the moment Kurapika regained consciousness and right now, I was busy pressing some ice against the nasty bump at the base of the boy's head. "I didn't know. I didn't know you were Mina's friend. I didn't even _know_ _Demina_ was coming home."

I flinched. Ooh, I was _so _going to get an earful.

"It's alright Mrs. Rikino," Kurapika reassured her for the umpteenth time too. "We had surprised you. It was our fault." A chill ran down my spine and I didn't even have to look to know that Serena was shooting me a look. "It had been a spur of the moment decision. Mina had been feeling a lot more homesick than usual, so I suggested that we pay you a visit."

Serena smiled one of those sweet smiles of hers that could give ants diabetes. It was one of those _suspiciously _sweet smiles. "That was so thoughtful of you. Please, call me Aunt Serena. Everyone else does."

Kurapika smiled back. "Of course." The air of civility was kinda getting on my nerves and I couldn't help but dig the bag of ice harder into the Kurta's skull, causing him to wince. The boy sent me a glare, but I simply just shrugged it off.

"That reminds me, the two of you should better get yourselves cleaned up," my so-called 'mother' chirped, clasping her hands together. "Demina," – flinch – "don't you think some of Aster's clothes would fit him? Get something for him to change into while I do the laundry."

"But-"

"Demina." Cue pointed look from her side and then I was off upstairs. Geez. Serena was a nice woman and all, but she was batshit crazy scary if people rubbed her the wrong way. On another note, as much as I wanted to postpone the lecture I'd be getting, I didn't want to leave Kurapika alone with a psychiatrist.

"I'm back," I muttered as I stepped back into the dining-room-slash-kitchen we had. "Here you go," I hummed, handing Kurapika a set of fresh clothes. "Go ahead. Leave me to my suffering." The Kurta raised an eyebrow while Serena just laughed it off.

"Bathroom's the second door to the left, dear," Serena sang as she waved my friend off. Kurapika was a bit reluctant to leave me, but a nod from me got him going. As soon as he was gone, I heard a pair of arms rest on the dining table and I couldn't help but swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. "Demina."

Right then and there, I rushed to get my explanation out. That I wasn't really supposed to go home yet, but I did anyway because I was so worried since I didn't get to talk to her. That it was really a last minute kind of decision. That what happened in the kitchen was an accident. That Kurapika and I were really _just_ friends.

The doctor's eyebrows shot up as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I see… Your paranoia's acting up again."

"For good reason," I argued. "Come on. You were always out of town. I was worried that you've gotten yourself into something…" I didn't even dare finish that sentence thanks to the look she was giving me. It was that 'you can't be serious' look that she gave me when I was being irrational. "I missed you."

"And I, you," she sighed, "but that doesn't cut you loose for bringing home a boy."

Rolling my eyes, I plopped myself down on the chair right across from the older woman. "I've dragged Marcel and Fritz up here a lot of times and you never minded."

"That's because I _know_ them since they were kids. But this boy…"

"Serena, Kurapika's a good person," I reassured her. "He's gotten me through a lot of things. I trust him with my life and he pretty much trusts me with his."

Serena considered me for a few moments, the emotion in her green eyes changing every few seconds. There was worry, at first. Then there was relief before it all came down to her version of happiness. "I'm glad you've made a good friend then," she hummed, smiling softly. "So, how was the Hunter Exam?"

I blinked a few times, a bit confused that I wasn't being yelled at, but I wasn't gonna complain and I quickly went off telling stories before Serena could change her mind. Like how Gon jumped off the boat to save Katsuo. How Kurapika and I all but tried to kill each other. How Leorio wanted to be a doctor. How we ran a very, very, _very_ long way. How we had to tackle and cook large, carnivorous boars. How we were left on Trick Tower for three days – tactfully leaving out the gruesome parts – on Zevil Island for a week before finally battling it out for the Fifth Phase.

"You seemed to have had quite an adventure," the woman chuckled. "Did you have fun?"

I grinned and nodded. "One of these days, I'll introduce Gon and the others to you. You'll love them," I sang as I got up, stretching my arms. I could still a bit flakiness where the eggs dried up on my skin and though it was still disgusting, it was better than when it was slime. "Well, better get to cleaning up that floor," I chirped as I walked over to the kitchen, grabbed a rag and began scrubbing. "So what about you Serena? From what Vika told me, you've been pretty busy these past few weeks. Anything important going on?"

"Nothing much," she answered airily. "A few friends had dropped by in Umbel and wanted to catch up. They kept on insisting that I make these daily trips to Umbel instead of them going here."

That sounded pretty plausible. "Friends from the institution?"

"Yes. You remember Dr. Hanayo and Dr. Ronomo, don't you, honey?"

"Of course. I scared the living daylights out of them," I murmured as I scrubbed a little harder. "But then again, I scared a whole lot of them back then."

"They just didn't understand you, sweetheart," Serena sighed, having said that statement a lot of times already.

"I know, I know… But… I think I'm getting better," I quietly said.

"Better?"

I nodded, sitting up on the floor, absentmindedly staring at the now clean floor. "Yeah. The shadows and the voices don't come around anymore and I got this dream once about myself," I explained as I got up onto my feet. I threw the rag into the sink – I'd get back to that later – and made my way back to the table. For a guy, Kurapika was taking his sweet time in the bathroom.

"That's wonderful news, Mina," my 'mother' chimed. "Why don't we just sit back and wait for your memories to-" I shot her a look and she sighed. "Of course you won't. You like going out there and putting your life in danger."

I sensed the bitterness and the sadness in her voice and it had me feeling guilty that the both of us knew I'd be leaving her alone again. "Aw, come on Serena. I can take care of myself…"

"I know you can," she tiredly said. A bitter smile crept onto her face. "I guess I just can't accept the fact that you're already grown up, ready to face the world and beat up the bad guys," she chuckled to herself. The corner of my mouth twitched up to make some sort of broken smile just as Kurapika came walking into the room, clean and wearing Aster's clothes. Oddly enough, they were a perfect fit. "Alright, Mina. Get yourself up there and take a bath."

Huffing, I got up. "Yep, yep," I chirped, making my way out of the room. "A bit of fair warning Kurapika, she's good at interrogating people."

The Kurta smiled. "I'll manage."


	17. Chapter 17

_Gods, this was so hard to write T.T Sorry for the delay and I'm sorry if this didn't come out like you guys expected-slash-wanted. Oh, and by the way, I've set up a poll on my profile and I just wanna know what you think about it._

_On another note, please pray for the Philippines. Though it's awesome to have classes suspended, it's still a pain for everyone._

* * *

"_I'll manage."_

=oOo=

Huffing, I plopped myself down on my bed, my hair still waterlogged and my clothes sticking to my still-wet skin. I was never really a fan of the whole drying off part of taking a bath. As soon as I got all the knots out of my hair, I was ready to go. And no matter how many times Serena told me to go and dry my hair, I never got into the habit of it. Dunno, just wasn't my thing. That's why I'd be leaving a trail of water everywhere I go every after a bath.

But that really wasn't important right now.

What _was_ important was deciding on whether or not I should go back down there. I was pretty sure that Serena had a _lot_ of things to ask Kurapika – he _was_, after all, a stranger to her – and she had this unbreakable habit of assessing most, if not all, people she came into contact with. But she did it so subtly that you'd be surprised how she found out certain things about you.

I lied down on the soft, detergent-scented sheets of my bed and rolled over onto my stomach. Maybe I should get back down there before Serena finds out Kurapika's on this path of revenge of his. She always said I should choose the people I get to be with real carefully and a passionately vengeful teenage boy wasn't really something she had in mind, I guess.

I couldn't help but frown at that particular thought. _Passionately vengeful._ It was bad enough that I had to use the word 'passionately' – it wasn't really my most favorite of classy words – but the situation was really too appropriate for it. I mean, sure. Kurapika had every right to be mad, and vengeful, but I couldn't help but think of what would happen to him when everything was said and done. When he finally got back his people's eyes and took down the Phantom Troupe.

What would he do then?

He never really talked about other than that particular plan of his, but on the other hand, I never really got around asking. Then again, it wasn't really my business now, was it?

Well, as for me, the moment I found Aster and gave him a good beating, I'd drag him – Hunter or not – along with me to find my parents. After that, I guess I'd ask them all my questions. I made a face at that. What _were_ my questions?

My frown deepened and I pushed myself up on the bed. My head hurt. Too much thinking was always bad for me, I guess. I hated the complicated things in life. If ever I had the choice, I wanted everything to be as straightforward as possible.

Like Gon.

The kid didn't bother worrying about what other people would think about him. He was an honest boy and I liked that about him. Unlike Killua, that sly, conniving brat, but that didn't mean I didn't like Killua too. He was, as much as I'd hate to admit it, was a sweet kid, in his own twisted, assassin way.

Come to think of it, how were those boys? And Leorio too? And maybe Pokkle too.

Sighing, I got up from my bed and shuffled my way over to my trusty computer. Kurapika could last another five minutes or so down there and I was pretty sure Serena wasn't going to eat him alive anytime soon. A quick mail check wouldn't hurt anybody.

As soon as I booted up my old PC – really, like, it was as old as me but it still worked like a charm – I quickly checked my inbox, amused to see a blinking icon. A message. I clicked it and lo and behold, an e-mail from the least person I expected.

Hisoka.

_I heard about your little dilemma, Mina-chan. How about I lend you a helping hand?_

It was short, it was straight to the point, and it was oh so very suspicious. First of all, Hisoka should know nothing about me, except, of course, how much he really freaked me out and how much I disliked him. Second of all, he shouldn't have my e-mail address. But then again, I was a Hunter and I was pretty sure some sort of info on me was available on the Hunters' website.

Narrowing my eyes at the message, I chose to reply. There was no harm in replying, really. I guess. I hope. I mean, the moment this got pretty shady – like it _wasn't_ already – I could just stop responding.

Yeah, that's right. I'd just ignore it.

_And what __**exactly**__ is this so-called dilemma of mine? And how do you __**exactly**__ plan to help?_

With that, I decided to shut down the thing since there wasn't any other mail, but the blinking icon of an envelope appeared again and I had to frown at that one. "What the…?" I murmured, opening the newest message.

But actually, it wasn't really just a message. It was a message with a _photo_.

Right there, in front of me, was a picture of Aster. And it wasn't just _any_ picture. It was a picture of Aster _and_ me. How in the world he got that picture, I was itching to find out, but what was even more irritating right now was Hisoka's taunting message below that nostalgic photo.

_You're still looking for him, aren't you? Or maybe you've given up and settled for that blonde of yours?_

I gritted my teeth and tightened my hold on the poor mouse in my hand. How _dare_ he?! Quickly, I sent my reply, though it was a little too late when I realized how painfully open I was.

_Where did you get that photo?!_

A few seconds later, Hisoka's reply came in.

_A small group of skilled people have the resources to find anyone and anything anywhere in the world… given the right price. If you're finished messing around with that Kurta of yours, then maybe you can offer them a deal._

My eyes narrowed. It sounded suspicious – then again, everything that psychotic redhead did was suspicious – and oh so tempting. Of course, there was also the fact that he kept calling Kurapika as mine that made me feel all funny inside, but that was a little less important than this so-called help Hisoka was offering. Oh, and he also ignored my question. Wasn't he just a dear?

"Mina! You can come down now if you want breakfast!" Serena hollered from the bottom of the stairs and I glared at Hisoka's latest reply.

"I'll be down in a minute!"

Begrudgingly, I typed and sent my hopefully last reply.

_Who and where are they?_

=oOo=

"Mina, sweetheart, you haven't even touched your food," Serena worriedly pointed out as I pushed the slab of pancake to the side of my plate. "Are you alright?"

Sighing, I looked up from my cold food and slumped back against my chair. "Yeah… Just thinking, I guess."

My 'mother' sent me a concerned look. "Don't overdo it, honey… And at least get something down your throat." Another sigh and a stiff nod and I glanced at the person sitting on the other side of the table. Kurapika was busy taking a sip out of his cup of tea, but he was ever so discreetly watching me.

To satisfy Serena, I shoved a big piece of the sweet, syrup coated pancake into my mouth and chewed. Of course, she didn't appreciate that sort of thing, but at least I got 'something down my throat.' My eyes grew wide though, as soon as I swallowed since I found myself choking on my food and I ended up downing all my lukewarm tea.

"Leave it to you to endanger yourself at breakfast," Kurapika sighed, putting down his cup on the table.

Still coughing, I replied, "And leave it to you to be an arse so early in the morning."

"Demina, your language."

I saw Kurapika raise his eyebrows. What? Did he really expect my guardian would approve those kinds of words? Well if he did, then he was very, very wrong. "Yes, Ma'am," I huffed as I dropped my fork onto the plate.

By the time I got back down, amazingly, Serena was in a pretty good mood. But Kurapika was a completely different story. It was like the air around him completely changed from easygoing – as easygoing as Kurapika could get, mind you – to a closed off kind a dude, the usual face he put up when it came to people he didn't like. Not that he didn't like Serena. I could tell that he didn't particularly hate her. Resented, maybe, but hated? Not really.

At that moment, the door bell rang and I got up to answer it. "I'll get it," I chimed as I rushed over to the door. As soon as I opened the door and got a good look at the person on the outside, I found myself being tackled to the ground.

"Minaaaaa!"

I winced at how shrill the girl's voice was and my first reaction was to push her away. "Goddamit, Vika! Not in the ear!" I hissed, rubbing my nearly deaf ear and glaring at the pink-haired, doe-eyed girl who was on the verge of crying. Which instantly made me feel bad by the way. "Aw come _on_, Vika. What did you think I'd do if someone tackled me out of the blue?"

The girl with loose curls pouted. "Good point, but still…" Vika tried again to glomp me, but I moved out of the way in the last second. "Minaaa…" she whined. "Cruel as always…"

"Try being hunted down for a month," I mumbled as I got myself up back onto my feet. "Let's see _you_ react to people jumping you." I offered my friend a hand and pulled her up before giving her a proper hug. "Nice to see ya again, Vika."

A chuckle escaped from the ever bubbly girl. "Right back at ya, Mina."

"Oh, Vika, just in time," Serena hummed from the kitchen door. "Come on in dear. Let me just get the paperwork I need you to sort out and." I turned around and saw the blue-haired woman and Kurapika peeking out. At that moment, I knew Vika was going to react.

In her own, special, Vika way.

=oOo=

A frown was steadily growing deeper as I read the files Serena wanted Vika to sort out before putting them on top of their respective piles. I wasn't frowning because of how much paperwork Serena had despite the lack of patients. I wasn't frowning because I was doing Vika's job. Oh no. I was frowning for a whole _other_ reason, a reason that shouldn't really be a reason at all but apparently was.

Vika giggled in the background and I discreetly looked up. _Discreetly_, because I'd never live it down if the pink-haired girl caught me looking and accused me of being jealous at how much fun they were having talking.

_Because I wasn't._

I was not jealous and I never would be.

I caught myself before I could crumple the poor sheet of paper in my hands and put it down on the pile I decided Serena needed to reread. A sigh escaped my lips in an effort to calm myself down, but that wasn't really working well. I glanced at the remaining papers and at best, there were twenty more pieces left from the one hundred and sixty-nine. It should take me another thirty minutes before-

"Really?! That's _so_ awesome!"

An eyebrow twitched at that one and I found that I couldn't focus on the paper in front of me anymore. I abruptly got up, not really caring how much noise I was making, and stormed off to my room. Not really the most mature of reactions, but something was so wrong with the picture – said picture was Vika _comfortably_ sitting beside Kurapika who, by the way, was a bit too at ease with the whole personal space invading thing for a Kurapika – that I couldn't stand sitting there, quietly reading patients' reports.

Slamming the door behind me, I threw myself onto my trusty bed face first and took slow, deep breaths.

Pull yourself together, Demina. There ain't anything wrong with your friend being friendly with your other friend.

I inwardly cringed at that thought. When it came to Vika, 'friendly' had a whole other meaning and I wasn't too sure if I liked it.

"Gah," I exclaimed as I sat myself on the bed and stared out my overly large window. In all honesty, my window was three times wider than the other windows because of my anxieties. Serena had it installed just for me.

But back to more important matters, I was still unbelievably irritated and I knew I needed to get this feeling out of my system. Huffing, I did the ponytail my hair was forever in and began running a hand brutally through my tangled hair. It hurt, yeah. I guess it was my own version of hair pulling that didn't really leave me with bald spots. An occasional hiss would escape my lips and in a matter of minutes, my hair was free of knots, leaving me with a curtain of hip-long brown hair. Now that I thought about it, I guess I needed a haircut sometime soon, but not today.

It was then that I noticed my computer was still on. Frowning, I got up and dragged myself over there. I plopped myself down on the chair and rummaged through my stuff. To my surprise, there was another message from Hisoka. Most probably his reply to my last message.

I knew from the very beginning that finding Aster wasn't going to be easy and that somewhere down the road, I was gonna need some help. At first, I thought Kurapika was going to be that 'some help' that I'd get, but with what Hisoka was giving me… It was just too hard to ignore. I wasn't desperate or anything, but still. This was the only lead I had.

A quick double-click and the message opened, causing me to frown even more.

_Don't worry, Mina-chan. They're already looking for you._

"So when were you planning on telling me about this, Demina?"

My eyes grew wide at the sound of the Kurta's voice right behind me and I quickly whirled around, only to have my face only a few inches away from his. I stole a glance at my now open door and I couldn't help but beat myself up for not noticing him come in. "K-Kurapika?!" I exclaimed. "How'd you… When'd you…"

The blonde gave me a stern look, his eyes shifting between me and my computer screen. "Well?"

"Back away and I just might tell you," I grumbled, not really appreciating how close we were. He sent me a look that bordered hurt, suspicion and confusion before taking a step back and making me feel guilty at the same time. It was amazing really how he could mash up all those expressions together into one, simple, guilt-inducing look.

I sighed in relief, surprised that I was holding my breath in the first place ever since he spoke up. "Your answer, Demina?"

I shot him a glare. Really. How many times did I have to tell me to stop using that name?

"How long have you been in contact with Hisoka?"

My eyes narrowed at the dark tone he was using. "Just this morning," I honestly answered in a clipped tone. If he was going to lecture me for accepting the psycho's 'help' then he better remember why the two of us were looking for an 'underworld' job in the first place. "He advised me on a group of people that could help me."

"Demina," he evenly said, maintain that serious tone of his as he propped a hand on the shelf right behind me. The end effect was him looking down on little ole me and I gotta hand it to him, he _did_ look pretty mean. "That man is dangerous. I won't let you be pulled into any business of his."

A huff escaped my lips as I got up and shoved a finger into the dark blue fabric of the shirt I lent him. "And _you_ are forgetting why we're here in the first place," I pointed out, poking his chest every other word. "Honestly, Kurapika. It ain't the first time I've danced with the psycho."

"And I grievously regret letting there be first," I heard him murmur to himself. But before I could even ask him about that particular slip, he went on talking. "I don't mean to interfere, but I'm asking you – as someone who cares – to turn down the man's offer."

"Someone who cares, my ass," I blurted out, crossing my arms and turning away from the blonde. "I bet if I hadn't gone up here, you wouldn't have noticed I was down there in the first place." I blinked once, then twice before I realized what I had said. My eyes grew wide, my cheeks burned up and my heart began to race.

Holy shit.

I did _not_ just say that.

"Mina?"

I lowered my head in an effort to hide my face. Goddamit, Demina! Of all the things to say, of all the things to blurt out! "Shut up…" I quietly murmured, my cheeks continuing to grow warmer by the minute. _Gods_, I've gotta look like a tomato by now!

"Could it be that you're-"

"I said, shut up!"

"-jealous?"


	18. Chapter 18

"_-jealous?"_

=oOo=

Jealous.

The word stung like a bee and I couldn't help but flinch at it. Of course, the fact of the matter was that I wasn't jealous and I wasn't going let this blonde tell me otherwise.

"Jealous?" I echoed, trying to sound as dubious as possible, but that didn't really turn out the way I wanted and my voice came out a little bit squeakier than I'd like. "Of what?" I half-scoffed, half-choked as I turned to face the Kurta and try to give him a mean glare.

Keyword:_ try._

Because for some goddamn bloody reason, I couldn't muster up any hate or annoyance I knew I had for the blonde, which was supposed to be a pretty easy thing to do looking back at how easy it was to pick a fight with him during the start of the Hunter Exam. But right now, it was kinda hard, if not impossible. I'd hate to admit it, but for the last few weeks we've been spending with each other, I found it getting harder and harder to hate the lightly older teen.

Kurapika met my pathetic excuse of a glare with an even look. Actually, it was one of those poker faces of his that. Honestly, when the gods above were giving out poker faces, they made sure they gave the very best to this guy. "Lying never was one of your better skills, Mina," he tiredly sighed, shaking his head. "There's nothing for you to be jealous of."

Much to my frustration, my cheeks flared up again. "But I'm not!" I insisted, stomping my foot so loud that I swore Vika would hear it downstairs. It was pretty childish, I knew, but I couldn't have cared less really. These were one of arguments that I wanted to win and I'd do anything for me not to lose. But I also knew, at the back of my mind, that I didn't have the heart to actually pull whatever mind tricks I could think off on this boy. "And if you don't believe me, then fine! Think what you want!" I huffed with finality. I marched over to the door and made sure I bumped into him as hard as I could in the process.

Just as I was about to go down the stairs, I saw Vika on her way up with a worried expression on her face. That look had a small part of me feeling a tad bit guilty, but I was not in the mood to talk to anyone. Most especially _her_.

"Mi-"

"I'm gonna get some air," I coldly said as I leaped over the banister. Not really the most ideal way to get down, but the stairs were too narrow for two people to pass. "Tell Serena not to wait up for me."

"But-"

"See ya around," I grunted right before slamming the door after me.

=oOo=

Frowning, I puffed away a leaf that had landed on my face. Stupid leaf. Getting in the way of my quiet time.

After storming off _again_ – I really needed to stop doing, it was real immature – I ended up on a tree somewhere in the ranch I worked in. Of course, I snuck in, but that wasn't really a big deal. I always snuck in here and though it was kinda like trespassing, what old man Casack didn't know won't hurt him, or me.

How long I've been up here though, I didn't know, but my ass was really beginning to feel numb from sitting, so it must've been quite a while.

A sigh escaped my lips as I turned around a bit and lied down on the branch I'd been sitting on. Well, at least I managed to calm myself down. Maybe I overdid it too since I oddly felt… I dunno, peaceful? Serene? Empty? I heaved another sigh. Though I've got that pinned down, I wasn't anywhere near sorting out what I needed to sort out.

Alright, better get this over with before I screwed things up even more.

First things first, I needed to apologize to Vika and Kurapika for acting like that. I was a mature, level-headed, rational individual. Sure, not all of those were applicable at the same time, but I wasn't that girl that stormed off. I was irritated – though I didn't know why and for the love of gods, I _wasn't_ jealous! – and lost my composure.

Hah.

Composure.

Like I even had that, but it was worth a shot for an excuse.

And then there was Hisoka. That offer of his… It was too good to be true, but too true to be good. Personaly, I'd take whatever deal those 'small group of skilled people' would give me in a heartbeat, but a according to a certain blonde who apparently cares for my well-being, I shouldn't because Hisoka was a demented, dangerous, disturbed man after all. But then again, he shouldn't talk since what we're doing right now was all because of that psycho's tip. And another thing, I could take care of myself pretty damn well, thank you very much. I wasn't some weakling that's freak at the slightest thing.

Alright, maybe I freaked out a few times, but those were just slip ups. I was way better now. And if ever I freaked again, I've dealt with those kinds of things on my own before. The thing that happened on the ship to Dolle, the tunnel to the Kiriko and Trick Tower… Those weren't going to happen again.

I'd make sure of that.

If anything, my memories were coming back, although painfully slow.

Kurapika didn't need to be overly concerned about me, and I shouldn't be overly concerned about him either. We both knew what we were doing and the agreement was to support each other in whatever path we took up, in whatever decision we made. Whether it was dangerous, insane, or downright stupid.

_Not_ to interfere with each other's decision.

I didn't say anything about him taking up Hisoka on his advice so he shouldn't have any qualms with me working with Hisoka's 'small group of skilled people.'

That was how it should-

"Oi, Demi! Are you up there?!"

I blinked. Demi? Who the hell was De- Oh. I carefully rolled over onto my stomach and took a peek at the people standing down below. A tall boy with a spiky mess of peach-colored hair and eyes that were as blue as the sky. A shorter girl with hair red enough to stop traffic and honey-colored eyes that looked pretty mean. It was Marcel, with an irritated-looking Wenalyn.

Great. Wenalyn was mad. Who pissed her off this time?

"Do you always call people's names up at trees, Marcel?" I lazily huffed from my spot, not bothering to get down. I saw Marcel elbow the girl beside him, saying something along the lines of 'I knew we'd find her,' and I immediately had a feeling Vika called them up. "Let me guess," I groaned, letting my head bump against the rough branch.

"We heard from a little birdie that you were acting weird," Wenalyn hollered.

"Did the little birdie have oh, I dunno, pink feathers?"

Wenalyn made a face. "Well, you better have a damn good reason for being out here and having Marcel drag me over to every single tree in the ranch." She shot Marcel a menacing glare. "_Every. Single. Tree._"

Marcel raised his hands up in defense. "I just wanted to make sure she wasn't there," he explained. I gotta hand it to him. He was in front of the most feared girl in town and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. Even _I _would end up a mumbling if she was talking to me and was _that_ angry. "Right, Demi? Leave no stone unturned, right?" I managed a weak smile at my friend and I couldn't help but notice the slight shift in Wenalyn's expression.

There was story behind why Marcel didn't call me 'Mina' the way other people did and although I wasn't used to it, I had to make an exception.

"Ain't gonna get pulled into any of your debates with Wenalyn," I sang. "You're bound to lose."

"So are you gonna tell us why you're up in a tree like a cat chased up by a dog?" Wenalyn bluntly asked. "Is it really because of that guy you brought along?"

A slow heat was beginning to creep up my cheeks and I opened my moth to protest, but Marcel beat me to it. "Demi? Having guy problems? That's like saying you're the kindest person in the world," he laughed. "It's impossible."

I appreciated the older boy's support, but I was sensing a very bad feeling coming from the already annoyed Wenalyn. Talk about adding fuel t a fire. That boy really had a death wish of some kind. And as fun as it'd be to watch Wenalyn chase Marcel down, I'd rather not let them start a war and let old man Casack find out I was – or maybe more appropriately 'we were' – on his property without his permission.

"Wenalyn," I called out. "If I go down and go home quietly, you won't kill Marcel, right?"

The older girl frowned. She was probably thinking about it. No one ever got away with insulting her, but Vika had asked her to check on me, and most likely to bring me home. She was extremely lenient when it came to Vika so she would most likely give Marcel the slip. If Vika and I were best friends, then Wenalyn and the pink-haired girl were twins that were so different but so in sync.

"Alright," I heard her mumbled. "Now get down from there before I change my mind!" Nodding, I rolled over the edge of the branch and landed on my feet. "So did your running off do you any good?" Wenalyn asked, pulling on my still untied hair.

"Maybe." Tug. "A bit." Tug. "Alright, yes already." Tug. "What was that one for?"

The redhead flicked my forehead. "For being an idiot and for not calling sooner," she huffed before throwing my hair into the air and letting it fall back to its place. "Aunt Serena and Vika weren't the only ones worried, you know."

"Says the person who bet I'd fail the Exam," I murmured and that earned me a smack up the head from her and a round of laughter from Marcel. "Ow!" And then she gave me another hit. "What the hell Wenalyn?"

"Vika said you'd 'eat me alive'?"

I inwardly winced. "It was a heat of the moment kind of thing. But really Marcel, couldn't you've thought of anything better to bet on?"

Marcel hooked an arm around my neck and laughed a bit more. "Come on, Demi. It was for fun." An eye of mine twitched at that one. For fun, he said. I almost died and he thought that gambling about my fate would be fun. If it was any other person, I'd have blown up about it, but this was Marcel. He'd be very guilty if I told him and I didn't want another Mina to bring him down again. "So this guy Vika told us about… He's a friend, right?"

And just like that, his comment on the just for fun thing was forgotten because for once in a _very_ long time – or since ever – _someone_ finally got it right. "Yes," I sighed, nodding. "Yes, yes, yes. My god Marcel, sometimes, I really just love you."

"I take it people keep paring you up?" Marcel asked, genuinely amused. "That'd be a laugh."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "And it's such a _pain_ in the ass!"

"Then why are you so affected?"

I froze.

Well _that_ was an unexpectedly blunt and unbelievably deep question coming from him. But then again, this was Marcel. He was a pretty popular person and if it came to things like dealing with people, he knew what he was talking about.

But before I could even think of an answer, Marcel poked my cheek. "Just kidding, Demi. Just kidding," he chuckled and I couldn't help but frown. That was _so_ not a good joke. And even if it was, they said there was always some truth into those things they called jokes.

"Now I hate you again."

=oOo=

"So where's Fritz?" I asked through my mouthful of food while pointing a spoon at Wenalyn who was sitting right across from me at the table. It was supper time and after some unnecessary bawling from Vika and some 'I'll talk to you later' looks exchanged between me and Kurapika, we were all good. Serena called in, saying that she forgot to buy something, that she'd be late and that we should go ahead and eat. And since Wenalyn and Marcel went through all the trouble of taking me home, I thought it'd be nice to have them over for a meal.

"Oh, he went over to his grandma's for the week," the redhead answered before taking a sip out of her drink. "She's been feeling under the weather lately and his whole family's real concerned."

"Nothing serious, I hope," I said right after I swallowed my food.

The older girl shook her head. "From what Vika heard, she's doing alright, that she was just a bit shocked with city life. But then again, this is Vika we're talking about. Who knows what she heard."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I-" A quick glare from Wenalyn and the usually loud girl shut up and retreated back to her seat.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Marcel striking up a quiet conversation with my blonde friend and a part of me felt relieved that Kurapika hadn't reacted badly, yet. I wasn't really sure about what I was gonna say to him later, but I was gonna make it as civil as possible on my part. "Demi, got any dessert? I know you do, so put it on the table."

Maybe it was just my imagination, maybe I was just tired, but I could've sworn I saw Kurapika's eyebrows furrow a teensy-weensy bit when Marcel called me 'Demi.'

Meh.

Me and my imagination.

Pouting a bit to feign irritation, I got up and made my way over to the fridge. "Always asking so much from me, aren't you Marcel?" I mock whimpered as I opened the fridge door. Good thing Wenalyn and I decided to swing by Chester's bakery to buy a few sweet things – I absolutely _loved_ his cakes ever since I was a kid – and I guess that was pretty much also the reason why Marcel was asking me for dessert. "Vika, be a lamb and get some plates for the cake," I hummed as I pulled out a cake.

"Yep, yep," she half-chirped, half-laughed. Dunno why, but she found it hilarious when people use the 'be a lamb' phrase.

"I'll get a knife," Wenalyn volunteered, her chair screeching against the floorboards as she got up.

"Thanks," I chimed just as I placed the cold box on the table. Marcel immediately made to open it, but I swatted his hand away.

"You're no fun, Demi," he mumbled.

"You can say that again," my pink-haired friend said just as she put a new set of plates on the table. "Just wait and see when she gets back to work. She'd be all work and no play."

"Am not!" I argued.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Are they always like this?" I heard Kurapika ask someone, but I was busy rebutting everything Vika said – which was really just 'are too' – to really pay attention, or answer.

"Most of the time," Marcel replied. "But usually by this time, they'd be on the floor tickling each other to death. But Demi always wins since she's not really all that ticklish." Ah, Marcel. He really always did give me way too much credit, but he was right.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Alright! That's enough!" Wenalyn suddenly yelled, knife in hand, and Vika and I didn't even think twice before sitting back down on our own chairs. Once we've calmed down, the older teen glanced at Marcel who then nodded. "Okay, so before we open this cake, I'd like to say something."

"You're already talking, so what's the difference?" Vika huffed, puffing out her cheeks as she crossed her arms. But the technically youngest of us got sent a look her way and that was probably strike two for tonight. Another one and who knew what Wenalyn would do.

Wenalyn gave us all a once over and when she saw that no one was gonna interrupt her, she continued. "So like I was saying, I just wanted to congratulate Demina here-"

"Mina," I corrected, out of pure habit and that earned me a cold look as well.

"_Mina_ here and I guess our newest friend on passing the Hunter Exam," she evenly stated. "And Mina, the three of us were thinking, why not celebrate your birthday today?"

I blinked. "Oh."

"It's your birthday?" Kurapika, who was sitting on my right, asked and I shook my head in response.

"I don't know when my birthday is so…"

"It's this thing we do, Kurapika," Vika started and although the sound of his name coming from her was something I wasn't quite used to, I kept my awkward smile on. "Since we don't know when her birthday is…"

"We just celebrate it on the most special occasion of the year for her," Marcel finished. "When did we last celebrate it, Demi?"

I looked up in thought. "I guess it was… I dunno. When I got my note from the Hunter's Association?" I made a face. "That was almost three or four months ago. Do you guys really want me to get old that much?"

"Does it really matter?" Wenalyn huffed as she began tapping the knife impatiently on her cheek. "You should know by now that what we do this not because you're getting older, Mina. We do this to let you know that you've spent a part of your past the best way you could."

Something pulled at my heartstring when she said those words and I couldn't help but nervously chuckle. I was pretty sure I heard that before somewhere, but I couldn't actually place it right now since I was starting to feel all warm and fuzzy and touched inside.

Marcel, who was seated at Kurapika's right, reached over ruffle my hair to the point that the Kurta had to move back a bit. "Yeah, Demi. That's exactly what Aster said when he came up with this thing, remember?" Oh yeah, Aster said that. That silly idiot. "So stop complaining and get yourself some cake."

"Maybe if Wenalyn would just open it, she could," Vika commented and it was really amusing how she'd have the gall to take a jab at the redhead and end up hiding soon after. And that was strike three, by the way, but the older girl just rolled her eyes and flipped open the box.

It said 'Congratulations and Happy Birthday, Demina! Lots of love, Serena, Vika, Marcel, Wenalyn, Fritz and Aster.'

How'd they manage to put that on without my knowing was a mystery, but I couldn't have cared less. And it was complete with a number seventeen candle which Marcel had matches for and promptly lit up.

Vika raised her glass, proposing a toast, which was real weird because this was first time she did, ever. "To Mina and Kurapika, for passing the Hunter Exam."

We all smiled and raised our glasses. "For passing the Hunter Exam."

"For another well spent part of Demi's life, and the years to come for this complicated person we call a friend."

A round of laughter and we all clinked out glasses.

"Happy birthday Demina!"


	19. Chapter 19

"_Happy birthday Demina!"_

=oOo=

"You have good friends."

I looked up from the dishes I were washing and saw Kurapika standing by the doorway. I wasn't too sure if we were in good terms, but I managed a small smile. "Yeah… Unfortunately, good doesn't always translate to helpful," I chuckled, shaking my head as I went back to the dishes just as Vika, Wenalyn and Marcel broke into a fit of laughter in the living room. They had left me with the dishes, but then again, I insisted to clean up before leaving the kitchen. Dunno… There was just something I couldn't stand about dirty, greasy plates. "So what brings you over here? I'm sure they'd love to interview you. It's not every day a stranger wanders out here."

He made a face. "To be honest, I'm actually trying to avoid just that."

Couldn't really help but chuckle at his answer. "What? Serena gave you a rough time and got you all traumatized?" He made another face and this time, I could've sworn his face grew a shade redder. "Say, what _did _you guys talk about?"

Kurapika frowned. "The dishes won't wash themselves, Mina," he huffed.

"Fine, be that way," I huffed right back at him before turning on the water and for a while, all I could hear was the sound of the running water, my friends' laughter and clinking silverware and porcelain. I could feel the Kurta watching me and though it was making me a tad bit conscious, I kept on doing what I was doing. It didn't take too long for another pair of pale hands to appear in the sink right beside me with sleeves rolled up to the elbow. I didn't argue when Kurapika began grabbing the stuff I'd soaped and got on to rinsing them.

There he was again, helping me when I didn't ask him to. Him and his kind, chivalrous streak. It was honestly amusing and irritating at the same time, how he'd butt in when he didn't need to, but something told me that what he was doing right now wasn't really for the sake of being a gentleman.

"About this morning…"

I inwardly frowned. Should've known. "Yeah… I know," I sighed as I handed him a newly soaped plate. "I apologize for that, really. Dunno what came over me…" I honestly didn't and if he wasn't going to believe that I was just as confused as he was, then I didn't know what to do anymore.

"You were…" Heaven above, if he was going to say 'jealous' then the knife he just rinsed was going to need another good washing by the time I was done with him. "…irritated."

Irritated.

That was exactly how I felt earlier, but that didn't really seem to fit perfectly.

But irritated and jealous were two different things and I'd admit to irritation rather than to jealous any day.

"Right. I was irritated," I murmured.

"May I know why?"

The question had mildly surprised me. I had expected that he'd ask why I acted the way I did, but I wasn't too sure on whether or not he wanted to find out in the first place. Apparently, he did. "I was irritated because you and Vika got along real well," I quietly answered as a frustratingly familiar warm sensation came creeping up my face. A grunt escaped my lips, dropping the spatula I was working on in the skin and pushing away some of my hair from my face. "I guess it kinda got to me how easy it was for other people to deal with you."

From the corner of my eye, I saw the blonde nod quietly. "I didn't mean to act so harsh, you know," I continued on explaining, my voice growing a bit louder as I gained a bit more confidence. "It's just how I am."

"It's alright, Mina," he hummed as he grabbed another piece of tableware to rinse. "I suppose I have just gotten used to you being so quiet these past few weeks that I forgot just how much of a handful you can be."

"I resent that," I muttered, scowling.

"But true."

I scowled a bit more but a few moments later, I broke into small smile. "But true," I agreed as I placed the last of the soapy tableware in Kurapika's side of the sink. "You know, this wouldn't have blown up like this if you hadn't gone up to my room. I'd been able to deal it with myself."

The Kurta rolled his eyes. "I was worried."

"Of course you were," I hummed, swinging the faucet over to my side to wash my already wrinkly hands.

"I had every reason to be," he argued in a non-hostile voice. "But I would have never expected for Hisoka to contact you."

A huff escaped my lips at that one as I pushed the faucet back to his side. "Well, he did," I grunted. "I'm just as surprised as you are, but I can't really just ignore him. He says he knows some people that could help me."

Kurapika kept quiet for a while and it was kinda obvious he was thinking about it. "Like I said, he's a dangerous man, Mina. You can't trust him."

My eyebrows rose a bit. "Who says I do?" I asked.

The older boy met eyes and stared at me for a few seconds before sighing and shaking his head. "So who are these people?"

"Honestly, I don't know," I easily replied as I turned around, crossing my arms and leaning against the sink, and I knew I shouldn't sound as relaxed as I did. "But that psycho said they'd find me."

"It sounds all too suspicious to me."

"Me too, but I ain't backing out now."

"But there's nothing going to stop you, isn't there?"

I shook my head. "No there ain't." I cast a sideways glance at the blonde. With this line of conversation, I knew he was trying to come into terms with the idea of me going off to work with some strangers a dangerous man was suggesting. "I'll be fine, Kurapika," I reassured him. "I'm not _that_ crazy to have a guardian all the time."

The Kurta made a face. "It's not that I don't have faith in your abilities, Mina," he quietly began as he shut off the water. "Serena had explicitly told me to protect you and she knows how to be _very_ persuasive."

I couldn't help but snort at that. "Well, I don't need any protecting and whatever Serena's threatening you with, I'm pretty sure she won't actually use it," I laughed, elbowing him lightly. "And if she does, well… I'd just have to step in now, won't I?" I added, winking at the blonde. Kurapika blinked several times before a small smile appeared on his face and nodded. "Now if you're just about done, I'd like to get back to my friends now before Wenalyn decides it's about time for her to drag me over there."

=oOo=

"I'm home," Serena chimed as she came walking into the living room, two large shopping bags in both of her hands. "Oh, everyone's here," she squeaked, realizing that I wasn't the only one here. "Why are you kids still up here? Your parents must be worried."

Wenalyn waved a hand lazily. "It's alright Auntie," she hummed just as I got up from my spot on the couch to help her with the bags. "We already called them. They said it's alright."

"Easy for you to say, young lady," the older woman huffed as she handed me the bags. "You won't be on the receiving end of your father's guns if something happened to you." We couldn't help but chuckle at that. It _would_ be dangerous if her dad got mad. He was the town's best hunter, and by hunter, I meant one of those people who went off to the woods and came back with a deer or two in tow. "Ah, sweetie, just leave the orange one here and leave the rest in the kitchen."

"Yep, yep," I chirped as I did just as she wanted me to do. When I got back to the room, Vika came hugging me from the side and I nearly flipped her over. Honestly, that girl needed to give some warning before trapping people in her arms. "What?" I asked, my eyes narrowed at the beaming girl.

"You're going, right?" she excitedly asked, her arms tightening around me. "You're going, you're going, you're going. You've got to go!"

Still not completely understanding, I turned to the other people in the room. Hopefully, they'd make more sense. "Auntie says the annual parade down in Umbel is gonna be this week," Marcel thankfully cleared up. "We were wondering if you guys would stick around for it, Demi. It's been a long time."

Oh. It was that time of the year already?

I glanced at the Kurta. "I don't mind. Besides, we've agreed to take it easy for a week… But you have the final say in this, Mina."

"It's the day after tomorrow!" Vika squealed as she shook me and I could've sworn she ruptured my eardrum. "Come on! Say yes!"

"If I say yes, would you let me out of this deathtrap you call a hug?" I grumbled, scratching the back of my head.

The pink-haired girl smiled mischievously. "Maybe."

"Then it's a maybe too."

The younger teen didn't like my answer all too much. "Aw, alright," she grunted.

"Fine, then we'll go."

"Alright!" she cheered and just like she promised, she let me go. And before she could even think of hugging me again, I plopped myself down on the sofa beside Kurapika. "We're going to the parade! We're going to the parade!" she chanted over and over again like a kid on a sugar rush.

And it seemed like it wasn't only me who thought so. "She's awfully happy about this," the blonde commented as we watched Wenalyn drag the loud girl back to her seat and reprimand her for being so noisy in someone else's home.

"Well, it's a big event," I hummed, crossing my arms as I leaned back.

"_That's_ an understatement," Marcel chuckled from the nearby chair. "It's one of the largest parades in this region and we used to go all together every year." I couldn't help but frown when he said 'used to.' "I'm surprised you actually decided to tag along this time, Demi." The older teen leaned over to Kurapika and to whisper something, but I could hear ever single word. "She loves the parade, but ever since Aster left-"

"Alright, alright," I hissed, pushing the boy away from the Kurta. "No need saying things you shouldn't say."

Right at that moment, the clock began to chime and it was only then that we realized that it was already ten-thirty.

"And that's your cue to leave, kids," Serena announced, clapping her hands together. "I'd love for all of you to stay longer, but I'd rather not have your parents coming into my clinic with high blood pressure tomorrow morning." A round of 'aw's and 'good night's echoed and soon enough, only Serena, Kurapika and I were left. "That goes for the two of you as well. Hunters or not, I expect you two to get some decent sleep tonight."

=oOo=

Huffing, I pulled out a few sheets and couple of pillows out of the storage room, the words 'I should've thought this through' echoing over and over again in my mind. I marched my way up the stairs and entered the only open door. "Here you go," I hummed, plopping the stuff on the somewhat-bare bed.

"Are you sure it's alright for me to stay here?" Kurapika cautiously asked. "I'd be alright on the sofa."

Frowning, I shook my head. "You're a guest and believe it or not, I have _some_ sense of hospitality," I replied as I went on fixing up the bed. "Besides, Serena says it's alright, so it's alright. It's not like you have any other place to stay in anyway."

"But-"

"No, buts," I grunted. "It's not like anyone's been using this room for the past few years. I'm sure he won't mind." As soon as I straightened everything out, I nodded to myself. "Okay, that's everything. If you need anything else, just knock on the door right across the hall."

Aw. What a nice person I was.

The Kurta nodded. "Thank you."

"Nah, don't mention it," I casually said, waving a hand as I made my way over to the door. I paused at the picture hanging on the wall – it was the same photo that Hisoka sent me earlier – but I immediately caught myself staring before the blonde could notice and I shook my head. "Good night, Kurapika."

"Good night, Mina." I managed a small smile and a nod and with that, I closed the door behind me and made my way over to my own room. It was completely identical to the room Kurapika was in, with the exception of the window. I had a larger window and a much better view.

Sighing, I shut the curtains and changed into something more comfortable. Due to Aster's horrible estimating skills, most of the clothes he'd give me were either too large, or too small. The small ones, we agreed to give them away. The large ones, I kept and turned into sleeping clothes. One of those was an exaggeratedly large light blue shirt with a thick, purple stripe running from the left shoulder to the right corner. It was ridiculously oversized that I had ended up hitting him with a broom.

To think that after all this time and it was _still_ too large.

I couldn't help but shake my head. What an idiot he was.

But I couldn't help but miss him too.

With one quick move, I undid my hair form its ponytail and plopped myself down onto the bed, sighing. A bit of kicking and my legs were under the blanket and I rolled over to my side to watch the stupid fish swimming round and round in the bowl sitting on my bedside table. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't been paying much attention to the silly thing. But then again, he couldn't really complain if I didn't. "So what's up with you?" I yawned, propping my head up with my arm. "You look thinner. You haven't been eating right, haven't you?"

Arvin the Second – I could _not_ get over how much I lacked in creativity when I was a kid – continued to go in circles. He'd occasionally run into those plastic seaweed-like things and then stop, then go round and round again.

"You _are_ an idiot," I half-huffed, half-chuckled. "Did you eat yet?" I frowned when I realized he hasn't and that it was kinda my fault why that was. "Alright, alright. I'll feed ya, I'll feed ya." Sitting up, I slid open the drawer built into the table and pulled out a can of fish food. Still frowning a bit, I watched the shiny orange fish swim to the surface and hungrily gobble up the multicolored flakes. I vaguely remembered that at one point in my life, I tasted those things and I regretted it very badly. But my fish loved it so I guess I couldn't really complain.

After a few seconds, Arvin had already eaten up all his food, that gluttonous thing. Shrugging, I shook more of the flakes into his bowl. "You need to regain your weight," I told myself as the flakes either sank to the bottom, or got gobbled up. Mostly the latter really. "Wow, you really are hungry aren't you?" But I wasn't gonna give the silly fish food anymore. The can was almost empty and it needed to last until the morning we planned to go to Umbel. That was the down side of living in a small town. Corymb didn't have a pet shop. It was a real pain.

While Arvin the Second was finishing up with his late-night dinner, I put away the can and lied down on my bed. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I felt my muscles relax. Gods. It was great to be back home. Another sigh and I closed my eyes. Better get myself some sleep before Kurapika got around to needing something.

I wasn't too serious about getting up to help him, you know.


	20. Chapter 20

_I wasn't too serious about getting up to help him, you know._

=oOo=

The smell of breakfast was what woke me up and I immediately sat up on my bed, my stomach already growling. A yawn escaped me as I stretched back and heard a few things pop. Somehow, I managed to get up on my two feet without the mysterious force dragging me back down onto the bed for another round of sleeping and I shuffled my way over to the bathroom to wake myself up.

Once that was out of the way, the heavy, sleepy feeling was gone and all I really felt was excitement to get some food down my throat, skipping along as I made my way down. To my surprise, it wasn't just Serena who was in the kitchen this early in the morning.

"What the…?"

"Good morning, Mina!" Vika chimed as she rushed over to hug me, but this time, I knew better and I sidestepped at the last second, missing her by a few inches. The younger girl ended up stumbling into the hallway and almost had her face smashed into the wall.

Wenalyn – who was apparently _also t_here – shook her head, uncrossing her arms as she got up from her spot at the table. "I told ya not to do that," she sighed, making her way over to Vika and picking her up from the floor. "But did you listen? No. You never listen."

"Good morning, sweetie," the blue-haired woman sang as she placed a large plate filled with eggs on the table. "Slept well?"

"Ah… Yeah. Good morning," I mumbled as I watched the two teens head back to the table a bit bothered as to why they were here so early. "Uh, Serena-"

_Ding, dong._

"That must be Marcel," the doctor hummed. Marcel? Why'd Marcel be here? Hell, why was everyone here? "The door's open, darling!"

I could vaguely make out the sound of the front door opening, then closing, followed by footsteps. It didn't take too long for Marcel's head to pop up. "Good morning ladies," he greeted, waving a bag of freshly baked bread that smelled absolutely heavenly. "Chester's was on the way, so I kinda just grabbed a few loaves for breakfast."

Serena gave the boy a sweet smile and took the bag from him. "Thank you, dear. You shouldn't have."

But Marcel simply waved a hand. "It's alright, Auntie. It's no big deal," he chuckled as he got himself settled on one of the chairs. "Eggs? I love eggs. Are we gonna have bacon too?"

"Yep," Wenalyn answered as she swatted the boy's hand away from the food. "They're already sizzling in the pan."

And it was at that point that I really needed to ask.

"What's going on here?"

Everyone in the room blinked several times. "Breakfast?" Vika replied.

Frowning, I crossed my arms. "I mean, why are the three of you here?"

"For breakfast," Marcel said, echoing Vika's answer.

A frustrated grunt escaped my lips. "And _why_ exactly are you having breakfast here?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose. It was just seven in the morning and I was already having a headache. "Don't you guys have your own homes to eat at?"

Wenalyn shrugged. "We thought it'd be nice to have breakfast here, with you, so here we are."

Skeptical, I stared at the redhead. "And the idea just popped into your heads?" She nodded. Unbelievable.

"Mina, if you're just about done overreacting, why don't you head on up and fetch our other guest?" Serena suggested as she went back to cooking. "These will be done in a few minutes and I'd want everyone to have some before _someone_ decides to have them all to himself." I managed a smile at that one while Wenalyn and Vika laughed at Marcel.

"Alright, alright," I chuckled, turning around and heading for the stairs. "There better be some food left when I get back."

Upstairs, I knocked on the door to the room where Kurapika was sleeping in and called out his name a few times. "Oi, Kurapika! Breakfast is ready and if you don't wanna starve, you better get up and go down."

The doorknob jingled and the door opened, revealing an already fully clothed Kurta. Amazingly, Aster's clothes suited him and he was in checkered, dark blue button up with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of jeans. For a split second, his eyes widened at the sight of me in his doorway, before he went back to his usual passive expression. "Must you be so loud in the morning?"

"Well good morning to you too, sunshine," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. The blonde gave me a look, but that didn't last too long and he ended up sighing. "Come on. The guys are downstairs and just about to go wild on the food. Better get there before they eat everything up." Though I really doubted that as long as Serena was with them. Kurapika raised an eyebrow and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "What is it now?"

"You're actually going in that?"

By 'that', he meant my sleeping shirt.

I glanced down and checked what was so wrong about what I was wearing and when I found nothing odd, I looked back at him again. "Yeah."

"You aren't even wearing a pair of pants."

"And then?"

"Have you ever heard of the word 'decency'?"

A laugh escaped my lips as I lightly punched the Kurta's arm. "Does it distract you?" I snickered. Well, he really had a point, but it was just Serena and the guys. We were used to seeing each other in pajamas.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw the blonde turn a shade redder. "Very much so." I tried to hold back my laughter, but I really couldn't and I just shook my head as I made my way down the hall and over to the stairs.

"I'll see ya at the table."

=oOo=

"Don't you just love dung duty, Mina?"

Huffing, I dug into the pile of manure with my shovel and transferred some of it to the wheelbarrow. _This_ was the reason the three of them popped up in my house. They wanted to drag me over to the ranch and work with them. Not that I didn't like it, but a bit of a heads up would've been nice. "I'd hate to admit it, but I kinda missed this," I grunted as I stabbed the tool onto the ground and propped myself against it. "Nothing beats the smell of horse dung in the morning."

Vika flashed me a wide smile before continuing with her shoveling. "So where's your blonde friend?"

"Oh? Kurapika?" I distractedly said. "I don't really know… He and Marcel took off a while ago."

"They must've dropped by the cows," Wenalyn stated from a few stalls up. "It's Marcel's turn to feed them."

Frowning, I went back to work. "Why'd the boys get the easy jobs?"

"Don't be mad, Mina," Vika chirped. "Our job's a lot more fun."

"And exactly-" My eyes grew wide just as a lump of excrement was sent flying at me, missing my face by a few inches. "Vika!" The shorter teen smiled widely, another ball of the smelly thing already in her hands. Another lump – and a particularly wet one at that – then came from the front and I narrowly dodged that one too. "Wenalyn! No fair!"

Wenalyn smirked. "All's fair in love and war, Mina," she chuckled in a not-so-fun way. She was taking this _way_ too seriously. "And _this? This_ is war." With that, the two set off to gang up on me. Honestly, when did Wenalyn find this fun?

I ducked behind one of the not-so-clean stalls and winced when I heard the squelch of manure hit the wall not too far from me. On the bright side, these girls had poor aim, but they still got me outnumbered. What rotten luck. Frowning, I glanced at the pile of poo nearby. Well, it was either hit or be hit. Taking a deep breath of not-so-fresh air, I grabbed a good handful of the thing. Gods only knew how we haven't come down with anything serious with the things we're doing.

"Aw, come on Mina," Vika whined. "It's no fun if you keep on-"

_Squish._

"Direct hit!" I cheered, throwing a dirty fist into the air when I saw the ball of poo hit Vika right in the middle of her yellow shirt. Some of it got onto her brown jacket. Such a shame. I personally liked that jacket of hers.

My moment of glory, however, was cut short when I felt something hit my side, both warm and cold at the same time. I inwardly cringed as some of the moisture seeped through my clothes and I couldn't help but retaliate with a throw of my own.

And then it began. The three-way dung war.

So much for properly getting the stable clean, for once.

By the time were all exhausted, the smell of manure was thicker than it was supposed to be and the walls that were clean in the first place, were now dirty. The winner, surprisingly, was Vika.

"Hah! I win!" she triumphantly said, stepping on a box and pointing a finger up towards the ceiling. "I have succeeded despite the challenges! I have achieved the goal despite the hardships! I have-"

A small lump of poop was thrown her way and the thing landed at the younger teen's feet. "Oh shut up already," Wenalyn grumbled as she rested herself against one of the cleaner stalls.

"Is that bitterness I hear?" Vika continued to taunt. "Oh, ho, ho! It is!"

"Give it a rest, Vika," I coughed, waving a hand in front of my face to get what little fresh air was left in the stable into my lungs. "Now we've gotta clean up." I took a good look around. Ugh. This was gonna take forever. "We've gotta _really_ clean up before Casack swings by."

Vika stuck out her tongue at me. "Boring!" she sang and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that.

"What's bor- Holy hell!" Marcel exclaimed as he stepped into our battlefield. "What happened…" His eyes fell on me and I just shrugged. "War?"

"Yep," Wenalyn replied.

"Who won?"

"Vika," both the redhead and I said in unison, much to Marcel's surprise.

"Really? She never wins these things."

"Apparently, there's a first for everything," I chuckled. I heard a squelch and I quickly moved out of the way. "Hey! We surrendered already!"

It was then that Kurapika decided to pop in. "What is that god awful stench?" he asked through the hand that was covering both his nose and his mouth. His eyebrows rose at the sight he saw. "What in the world happened here?"

"Dung war," all four of us answered at the same time. "This is exactly why I beg Casack to change my schedule when I get teamed up with Vika in here," Marcel sighed as he went over to one of the cabinets and pulled out some towels. He tossed Wenalyn and Vika a pair each and handed me mine. "Talk about a welcome back to work celebration," he chuckled, dropping a towel over my head and another in my hand.

"Casack's gonna be furious," I snickered.

"Tell me about it," he said. "You girls go on and clean up. Kurapika and I'll take care of it."

"Really?" Vika squeaked, coming over from her spot by the box she was stepping on. Her eyes were beaming with hope that she wouldn't have to clean up after her mess and I didn't know whether to be amused, or _un_amused.

"We can't let you guys do that," Wenalyn interjected, walking over.

"We can't?" Vika and I echoed and I smiled nervously when the older teen gave me a glare.

I coughed. "I mean, we can't and there's a very good reason why we can't, right Wenalyn? So…"

"Because it's our job," she evenly replied, crossing her arms with an unmistakable squishy sound that obviously disturbed her. "It'd be unfair since they already did theirs."

Marcel shook his head. "We don't mind, right Kurapika? Actually, we were already thinking of what to do next since we've already done pretty much everything we needed to do." Kurapika agreed with him and since Marcel pulled out the 'you must really want a bath right now' card, Wenalyn let them work and we were off to the showers.

=oOo=

A round of laughter echoed in the living room and Marcel tried to hide his embarrassed face from everyone with the use of a pillow, but it wasn't really doing him much good since us girls were doing our best to take it away from him to the point that we all had the four pillows behind us. This time around, we decided to drop by the poor boy's house and luckily – and unluckily for him – his parents were around and were more than enthusiastic in showing us old photos.

Of course, we've seen all of those before, but it still had us laughing.

It just never got old.

"Mom, come on," he grumbled as he tried to grab the pillow Vika was holding on to. "This is embarrassing."

"But you were just so adorable!" Aunt Shera cooed, picking up one of Marcel's baby pictures. He was only in his diapers and had one of those pacifiers shoved into his mouth, drool all over him. "See?"

"Mom!"

We snickered all over again as he ripped the photo out of his mother's hand, but the middle-aged woman just picked up another, equally adorable picture. "Aw, look at this one…" Before Marcel could even grab and hide it, Wenalyn took it and smiled in triumph. "Doesn't he look cute, Wenalyn?"

"Of course he does, Auntie," she hummed, waving the piece of glassy paper around. "I'd _love_ to have everyone see this to let them know just how adorable our friend could be." Marcel glared at the redhead and it only made her smile even wider. "Just kidding, Marcel. Don't get all worked up."

A huff escaped the older boy's lips and he got up to leave. "I'm gonna help Dad out with the car," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Aw, don't be such a killjoy, Marcel," Vika whined.

"Oh let him go, Vika," I hummed, flipping through a more recent set of photos with Kurapika. "You can't expect Uncle Froylan to fix the old thing all by himself." There were pictures of when I first moved in. I was the quiet kid he and Vika kept poking, _literally. _They had wondered why I wasn't talking to them and poked me to check if I was a real person. There were ones during birthdays, festivals and outings and though most of them were without Aster, we all looked really happy.

And then there were a couple of photos that I didn't expect to be there. I thought Marcel had kept them away in a box somewhere.

"What's that?" Vika chirped, squeezing her head in the space between Kurapika and I. "Is that…?" I nodded. "She was real pretty, wasn't she?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Wenalyn get up and took the photo away from me. At first her face was pretty passive, but then her lips curved downwards into a frown before she handed back to me. "Yeah, she was. She was a nice kid too."

I could feel Kurapika's eyes on me so I faced him and I saw the question he was wordlessly asking. I turned back to the photo and glanced around to make sure Marcel wasn't around before pointing at the girl with black hair, green eyes, a smile on her face and Marcel's arm around her waist. "That's Mina. She was Marcel's girlfriend."

"Was?"

I nodded. "Was." A small frown appeared on the Kurta's face. Apparently, he and Marcel were getting along quite well, but then again, Marcel got along with everyone. "She died a few months ago. Car accident and Marcel blames himself for it."

From there, Wenalyn decided to continue. "They were out on a date in Raceme and he asked her to buy them something to eat from across the street while he lined up to buy tickets for some movie," she quietly said. Even she was cautious to make sure the boy was out of earshot. "During that time, the local police were chasing some criminals by car and they happened to go down the street the movie house was at. She was hit by the van the thieves were in. The impact was so bad that she died on the spot."

A sigh came from Aunt Shera who I honestly forgot was there because she had been so quiet since the start of the conversation. "When Marcel first told us he found himself a girlfriend, we were thrilled," she fondly sighed, her blue eyes distant. "When he told us her name was Mina, we thought it was you, darling, and we were even more thrilled." I managed a weak smile at that. "But then he showed us her picture and his father and I ended up laughing at our silliness." The woman shook her head. "She was such a sweet girl, even hoped they'd get married one day…" Another shake of the head and she continued. "Her parents were devastated when they found out."

"That's why Marcel doesn't call Mina, 'Mina,'" Vika hummed as she sat herself back on her chair. "He can't bring himself to call her out again since he thinks it was his fault she died. He kept saying that if he hadn't asked her to go, then she'd still be alive."

It was sad, really, and painful.

It was sad to watch a friend be so helpless and painful to know you couldn't do anything to make it better. We had tried to console him, but there wasn't really anything else we could do. It was even worse for Marcel because he was definitely, undeniably in love with the girl and he was one of those guys that didn't fall right away, but when they did, they fell hard.

Sighing, I put the photo back on the table, face down, along with the other photos of the couple. It had grown considerably colder in the room and I couldn't help but cross my arms to keep some warmth in. A silence fell over all of us and it was only when Aunt Shera clapped her hands together did we all snap out of our moment of reminiscing. "Oh dear. How rude of me… I haven't even fed you kids yet."

By 'fed,' Aunt Shera meant stuff you up with so much food that you wouldn't be able to walk. She loved cooking and was genius. Vika once told us that she was chef at some posh restaurant in some large city in another country before she retired early, and got married. But then again, it was Vika. Who knew where she picked that bit of info up. Auntie didn't allow us to leave the house until we had dinner and it was already around half past nine when Kurapika and I got home. Serena, who was in the whole day, was already upstairs, sleeping and the two of us decided to get some rest too since we were heading for Umbel tomorrow.

"See ya in the morning, Kurapika."

"Good night, Mina."


	21. Chapter 21

_*sigh* Another one of my not so good chapters... Bear with me with this one._

* * *

"_Good night, Mina."_

=oOo=

Huffing, I blew away a stray lock of hair form my face. To be honest, I wanted to run my hands through the whole length of my hair, but Serena had gone through the trouble of tying it up into my usual ponytail for me because apparently, it was a 'special day' and she wanted to make sure herself that I was presentable.

Really? Wasn't I always presentable? Was I really that horrible to look at?

She had even gone through my wardrobe and pulled out a dressy, baby blue blouse that I hid at the very bottom of my dresser and a pair of jeans. For the love of humanity, there was a reason why they were at the deepest, darkest part of my cabinet and that was because I hated those kinds of things. Not the jeans, of course, but my top was one of those things with a bit of frills and a flimsy – although admittedly cute – ribbon. She actually wanted me to wear a skirt, but I didn't own one, so hah.

"What's taking them so long?" I grunted as I crossed my arms and began tapping my foot impatiently.

A soft hum came from the blonde standing beside me who was busy reading a book he had borrowed from the kind doctor. "We agreed to meet at seven-thirty, Mina," Kurapika reminded me just as he flipped a page. "It's only seven-thirty-two."

Well sorry if I considered two minutes to be a very long time.

I huffed again, this time shooting the older boy a look, but he was too engrossed with the worn title in his hands to really care. Eventually, I gave up on glaring at the Kurta and instead began to feel very amused. Even he wasn't safe from Serena's clutches. Again, she had managed to dig up Aster's old red button up shirt – one of his usual wears – and a pair of gray jeans. If Aster was that tall four years ago, I wondered how tall he was now…

"It's impolite to stare," Kurapika suddenly said, completely out of the blue. I was pulled out of my thoughts so abruptly that the first few seconds of my reaction was made up of a jaw drop.

"I… I was not staring!" I denied quite vehemently if I did say so myself while a familiar heat came crawling up my face. Nothing beats a violent denial in clearing a person's name. Yep. Nothing at all.

On a side note, I really needed to stop this blushing of mine. It was getting annoying and giving away all the wrong signals to so many people.

Amused, he raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"

There was something in his tone that had me narrowing my eyes. "I didn't know Killua had rubbed off on you," I murmured, marching over to the waiting bench. Honestly, how long were Vika and the others going to make us wait?

"I'm merely asking, Demina," he chuckled. "Is there anything wrong with satisfying my curiosity?"

My eyes grew even narrower. "Who are you and what did you do to the real Kurapika?" I asked, pointing an accusing finger at him. "And don't call me that."

"Am I interrupting anything?" someone coughed and we both turned. Wenalyn was standing not too far away, a smirk on her face, a hand on her hip and a brown bag on her shoulder. "Maybe I should come back later since you two are-"

"Stop it. Stop right there, Wenalyn," I groaned, running a hand over my face. Sometimes, I just didn't know on whose side she was on.

The older girl's smirk widened. "What?" she innocently asked, but the both of us knew the question wasn't as innocent as it sounded. "Now aren't you looking lovely today, Mina?"

"Don't I always?" I snorted, waving the sarcastic comment off. "And I see your mom forced you into a dress this year as well?" At that, Wenalyn frowned and marched over to me in a way that so did not fit the pink dress she was wearing. "I'm guessing you have a spare set of clothes in there?" She nodded. Typical Wenalyn.

"So where's Vika and Marcel?" she asked, looking around. "Don't tell me they're late. I already asked Marcel to pick her up so we wouldn't take too long."

Shrugging, I hummed, "It's Vika. What do you expect?"

As if right on cue, we saw a pair running over. Well, to be accurate, one of them was running while the other was practically being dragged about.

Poor Marcel.

"We're hereeee!" Vika squealed as she came to a skidding stop in front of us. Wenalyn frowned and crossed her arms at the two of them, but before she could even breathe a single word to scold them, Marcel raised a hand.

"Vika's fault," he gasped in between breaths. "Chose… dress… couldn't… decide…"

I glanced at the youngest of us all and really, the girl was in a white and yellow dress with her hair all curled up and her face all dusted with makeup. "Vika, we're going to a parade, not boy-hunting," I pointed out, mildly amused.

"Apparently, that's what my mom thinks," I heard Wenalyn grumble from the side and as much as I wanted to laugh, I couldn't because Vika walked over to Kurapika, hooked an arm around his and pouted at me. And I didn't know what annoyed me more: her actually trying to pull something like that, or him actually letting her to hold him like that.

"Kurapika, Mina's being mean to me," she whined, shaking his arm slightly.

Frowning, I got up from the bench. "I'm buying tickets," I grunted as I walked away.

=oOo=

"Guys, over here!" a familiar voice called out as soon as we stepped out of the station. As we expected, there were already a lot of people around for the booths and stalls, but it didn't take me too long before I found a head of dark green hair and purple eyes.

Before I could even open my mouth, a blur of pink and white passed by me, squealing. "Friiiitz!" A small smile spread across my face as I watched the girl tackle the boy to the ground. Of course, I ended up frowning as soon as I realized just how much her skirt was flying about. I guessed Wenalyn was thinking the same thing since she marched right over to the girl and gave her a good scolding.

Fritz had found out from Vika that we were going to the parade together and decided to tag along since Catkin wasn't too far from Umbel. After introductions, compliments and chidings were out of the way, we set off for the games scattered around town.

I mean, come on. The parade wasn't until later tonight and we weren't gonna haul our asses over here just to watch. We had to play too.

First off was one of those gun-firing games. Fritz, ever concerned about wasting good jenny on a rigged game, tried to discourage us.

Keyword: _tried_.

With a wide grin on her face, Wenalyn picked up one of the air guns and paid for the ten bullets. "Want the large bear, right Vika?" The younger teen beamed and nodded. "Consider it done."

=oOo=

"Are you going to eat that?"

Blinking, I looked away from the large window and turned to Wenalyn who had a slight frown on her face. I then glanced down on my plate of food – a tasty looking dish of meat and potatoes – before picking up a spoonful of the stuff and shoving it into my mouth. Well, it tasted as good as it looked, but I wasn't really in the mood to eat. I found myself staring out the window again, and this time, my eyebrows were pulled together.

By the second, people were filling up the streets and that fact didn't really sit well with me right now. It was only two in the afternoon and I was pretty sure by the time the parade started, there would be a whole, dense mass of people outside. I shuddered. This was going to be an unpleasant experience.

_Again._

"Mina, I'm seriously going to grab your plate if you don't start eating properly."

Now that just made her sound like Serena.

"Go ahead," I hummed, waving a hand. "I'm not hungry anyway."

"Lost your appetite?" Kurapika asked as he set down his silverware on his plate.

I shrugged as a response, but Fritz decided that he could give an even better answer. "I bet she's just getting cold feet again," he said. "She loves the parade, but she hates just how much people go."

"I just hate people, in general," I huffed as a joke.

Vika shook her head. "You hate it when there are a _lot_ of people," she clarified. "It's your clau-" Before the pink-haired girl could even finish that word, Marcel took the liberty of covering her mouth for me. The younger teen blinked several times before her eyes grew wide. "Oh," she squeaked. "Right. Never say the 'C' word."

"Yep, but that's not it," I replied. I stole a glance out the window one more time. "Something just doesn't feel right…"

"Nerves," Vika said, nodding to herself. "It's just your nerves acting up since you always had someone hold your-" Again, Marcel did me a great favor of covering the girl's mouth before she told Kurapika anything embarrassing, but apparently, she had the capability to learn from her mistakes and bit down on Marcel's hand. "Always had someone to hold your hand during the parade!" she quickly finished before the boy sitting beside her could stop her again.

"That… That is-"

"Very true," Fritz hummed. "Do you know how many times Aster said he couldn't go with me to do guy stuff all because he couldn't leave you alone? That guy thinks someone would kidnap you the moment he looked away." Frowning, I crossed my arms in disapproval while Vika pushed the boy.

"I think it's sweet," she dreamily sighed. "If a guy did that for me, I'd marry him."

Wenalyn snickered at that. "Vika, you'd marry any guy who'd say more than five words to you."

"Now that's just mean!"

"But true," Marcel quietly commented from his end of the table. Smiling a bit, I turned back to the window, watching the people pass by. Most of them were with family and friends, just like us, even though it was a weekday. But just when I finally got myself at ease with all the ruckus my friends were causing, my eyes grew wide at what I saw. It was only for a few seconds, but I swore I saw him. The hair, the gait, even the way he dressed.

It couldn't be, could it?

I abruptly got up, shaking the table in the process and startling everyone. "Mina, what the hell?" Wenalyn growled as she grabbed a tissue and began wiping away some of the food that got on her clothes.

"I'll be right back," I mumbled as I quickly made my way out of the restaurant we were at. With every person I bumped into, I couldn't help but feel a bit more agitated, but I wasn't going to lose sight of him. It didn't take that long before I caught up and when I grabbed onto his arm and turned around, I couldn't help but take a step back. "As-!"

"Do you need anything, miss?"

Unfamiliar brown eyes were watching me, curious, as I shook my head. "Sorry, I thought you were somebody else," I murmured, looking away from the stranger. He was much, much older than Aster would've been, but he had the same hair, the same way he carried himself that I thought it was him for a couple of seconds.

The man raised his eyebrows and looked around. "Say, are you alone by any chance? Because if you are, maybe we could-"

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but she's not," Kurapika suddenly said, coming out of nowhere, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to him gently. "She is with me."

The stranger's eyebrows went up even more. "Oh, I see. Then I apologize," he politely said, bowing a bit, but both Kurapika and I weren't buying his act. "I suppose it was foolish of me to think that such a lovely lady would be alone on such a lovely day. I best be on my way." With that, he left and disappeared into the crowd.

But even with him gone, Kurapika didn't let go of my hand. Instead, he tightened his grip. "What were you thinking, Demina?" he calmly asked, but I could hear the slight irritation in his voice. "Going up to complete strangers? Not to mention one that seemed interested in you?"

I couldn't help but frown. He was right. "I know, I know. It was stupid. I just…" A frustrated sigh left my lips. "He looked like Aster from the window and I just had to make sure..." I managed to tear my eyes away from the ground and look at the Kurta. I was expecting him to look very annoyed since what I did wasn't really the smartest, most rational thing to do – but then again, I've done a lot of stupid, irrational things in the past – but instead, he just looked worried, and at the same time somewhat relieved.

"Now I understand why Aster didn't like leaving you alone," I heard him sigh as he ran his free hand through his hair, smiling to himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, but he chose to ignore my question.

"Let's head back. The others must be worried."

Frown growing deeper, I nodded. "Will you at least let go of my hand now?"

"No. Not until we get back to the others."

=oOo=

A hand placed itself on my shoulder and I turned around to see Kurapika with a strange look on his face. "Your mind seems awfully distant tonight," he commented as he squeezed himself into the small space between me and some random stranger. The parade had started a while ago and people were crowding the sidewalks to get a better view. It was really pretty and I couldn't deny that I missed this thing more than I thought, but my mind just couldn't focus right now on the large, bright, colorful floats parading down the streets. Not to mention the discomfort that came along with being in such a large crowd. Whatever was left of my focus was used to stop myself from going wild and pushing random people away. "And here I thought that this parade was going to make you happy. Instead, it's getting you more distracted."

"Did you really just figure that one out yourself?" I huffed, my eyes turning back to the enormous, basket-like float filled with equally large, glowing flowers.

"You are a lot easier to read than you think, Mina," he replied just loud enough to get me to hear him. "You are still troubled by that man from earlier."

"Am I really that easy to read?"

"Yes," he immediately answered. "And the fact that your friends are more than willing to share information about you also helped. You're not one to let these kinds of things go easily."

Bah. Of course, my friends. Never really got around finding out whether they were with me, or against me with what they were doing. Speaking of Vika and the others, where were they? At that moment, a large boom echoed and everyone – including me and Kurapika – looked up. The sky was being lit up by a lot of fireworks that kept on changing colors and I couldn't help but smile. There was something about those balls of chemicals bursting into multicolored flames that I liked. Maybe it was how pretty it all was despite coming from an explosion. Not really sure.

As the seconds passed, I found myself smiling even wider and while all that was going on, I felt Kurapika hold my hand. The action had caught me a little off guard and I glanced at him. He had this content look on his face, smiling at me, before he turned back to the fireworks display. I could imagine looking the same way he did as I shook my head and spared the momentarily ignored parade a glance.

And then I saw him again, right across the street.

This time, I had a perfect view of his face and I swear to the gods above it was really him. His green eyes met mine and we held each other's gaze for a few seconds. Even from across the street, I could make out the surprised look on his face before he quickly turned around and made a run for it.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, taking a step forward and unintentionally pushing the people in front of me.

"Mina," Kurapika called out, pulling me back to him. "What's wrong?"

"It's him," I shakily gasped. "It's really him. Please, let me go Kurapika. I've got to catch up!" There was this pained expression on his face and were it any other time, I would've stopped right there and think about what I said, but this was Aster we were talking about. My missing 'brother.' I couldn't just stay put when I was one hundred percent sure that guy was him. "Please."

The blonde closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let go of my hand. "Go."

=oOo=

The chase led me to the outskirts of town, far from the parade and the noise. It was amazing how he could keep up this speed for this long. I was already wearing myself out with this and it was only a matter of time before I trip and fall over on my own feet. Desperate, I called out to him. "Stop it right there!" I yelled the loudest I could and surprisingly, he did, which made me all the more sure that this was Aster.

But why would he be in Umbel? I mean, it was nice and all to finally have him back, but still… Why take this long?

The man didn't answer. "Don't just stand there like an idiot!" I exclaimed. "Say something!" Again, no response. Not even a glance from him which was both irritating and painful. "Goddamit Aster! Can't you even look at me?!"

At that, he flinched and ever so slowly he turned around, greeting me with a sad smile on his face. When I saw him, I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and at the same time, I couldn't help but feel like the man standing in front of me wasn't the Aster I knew. The green eyes, the blue hair, the way he stood, the way he was dressed… It was so him, but the large scar running down his face, the sad look in his eyes and his pale skin wasn't what I remembered.

"Loud as always, aren't you, Mina?"


	22. Chapter 22

"_Loud as always, aren't you, Mina?"_

=oOo=

My throat ran dry as I stared at the man in front of me. Four years… It really did do things to people. And for Aster, I couldn't imagine what he had to go through to end up looking the way he did. He didn't lose any weight, I could tell. Actually, he looked like he had _gained_ some, muscle-wise. He had kept his hair pretty much the same way, but it was a lot messier than I remembered. His skin had grown a lot paler, like he hadn't seen the sun as much as he wanted to. His face had a scar running down from his right forehead down to his left cheek, barely missing his eyes and though it was the most noticeable thing on him right now, the thing that shook me the most were his eyes. Green, like his mother's and just as warm, but there was a hollowness I couldn't place at the same time.

Which I didn't believe was possible until I saw him.

"Aster…" I weakly said as I slowly made my way towards him. "What happened to you…?"

With that bloody smile still on his face, he sighed. "It's nice to see you too, Mina. You've grown so much since the last time I saw you."

"Four years can do a lot to people," I murmured, not ignoring the fact that he had avoided my question. "Apparently, some more than others."

His obviously fake smile faltered for a bit, but he looked like he caught himself before he could frown. "How have you been?" he casually asked and I couldn't help but be irritated. Four years and that's what he asks? He had some gall to go about and ask me that.

"I should be beating you up for asking such a stupid question," I slowly began, my eyes narrowed at the boy-teen-man… Whatever. Technicalities were always such a pain, 'cause for me, he was still stuck at age fifteen even though he looked, acted and actually was twenty-one. "But I'm gonna try my best to be nice and not bite your head off."

A small chuckle escaped his lips. "You always _did_ have a violent streak. I guess some things just never change…"

I balled my hands into fists. "That's strike two Aster," I warned. He better stop reminiscing and start explaining before I ran out of patience. "Tell me, what happened to you?"

"The boy you were with… He's new. Did he just move in?"

An eyebrow of mine twitched and without even thinking, I tried to tackle him down to the ground.

Keyword: _tried_.

By some godforsaken way, Aster disappeared, just when I thought I had grabbed onto him. I righted myself before I could fall on my face, panting and with eyes wide. What just happened? My eyes darted from left to right. Where did he go? Goddammit, people didn't just disappear into thin air!

"That was a nice try, Mina."

I gasped when I realized he was right behind me and I immediately jumped away. He… How'd he get there? Why didn't I even feel him run past me? "You… How did you…?"

Aster raised an eyebrow, honestly amused. "You're a Hunter, right? Shouldn't you be able to use _Nen_ about now? I mean, I was when I passed."

"_Nen_?" I echoed, the word strangely familiar to both my ears and my lips. A small voice at the back of my mind was trying to get me to remember, but I pushed it away for the mean time. There were more important things I should be thinking of and I was pretty sure I'd remember to find out more about that _Nen_ thing. "What are you talking about? And what do you mean you passed?! If you passed, why didn't you come back?!"

His green eyes narrowed at me – more out of scrutiny than of suspicion – before he closed his eyes. "I had a very good reason, Mina. The people I work with… They aren't the kind of people you should get involved with. That's why I stayed away you, and you should stay away from me. And if you can't even use _Nen_, then you should really stay away."

"What the hell, Aster?!" I hissed. "Why can't you just give me to it straight? You know how much I hate going around in circles!"

The blue-haired man sighed tiredly. "Mina…"

"Aster, there you are."

I blinked and quickly turned around. "What the…?" A man with graying hair came into view, a woman with black hair following right behind him. He was kind of an old man already – I could tell by the wrinkles – but he gave off this air of authority and confidence that was just not old-person-like. She was a pale lady and her dark hair made her look even paler than the dead. I guess the only thing that set her apart from looking like the dead was how her eyes weren't glazed over.

"A new friend?" the woman hummed, walking over to me with a strange look in her eyes. It wasn't the I'd-like-to-kill-you-someday-look that Hisoka almost always wore, but that didn't mean it was far from it. Aster stiffly shook his head as he took a step forward to greet what I guessed was his 'coworkers. I stole a glance at his face and noticed how emotionless he looked. "An old one then?"

The older man elbowed the lady harshly, enough to have her stepping back a bit. "Don't be an idiot Delen. That's his sister, remember?"

The lady, who was apparently this Delen person, raised an eyebrow. "Really? You mean _that_ girl? Why, she's grown so much!" she cooed in the most annoying way I never thought possible. She was patronizing me, I could tell. "So, _so_ much, no, Sol?"

"I say she still looks pretty much the same."

I cautiously eyed the pair that was standing a little too close for comfort. Something was going on here that I couldn't see. I could feel it, I knew it was bad and I just had to run for it. But that would mean leaving Aster behind and like hell would I do that.

But then again, I could feel something other than tensions rising and it was getting harder and harder to fight the instinct to run.

"She's just a kid who doesn't even know _Nen_," Aster spoke up, his tone serious. "She's got a history of mental instability and her temper's far worse. We can't use her."

Delen smirked. "But she's _so_ adorable. I think we can make some room for her."

"Isn't that for the boss to decide, Delen? Because the last time I checked, I outranked the two of you."

The lady pouted at that and huffed as she turned her head away and crossed her arms. "Touchy, touchy, as always," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Aster…" I managed to finally say. I was finding it hard to talk in front of these people. They didn't look dangerous. Off and a bit suspicious – then again, who wasn't nowadays? – but not dangerous. They _felt_ dangerous though. "You work with these people?"

"Unfortunately."

"Don't be like that, Aster," Sol chuckled as he walked over to my 'brother' and hooked an arm around his neck. "Four years is a pretty long time. We're like best friends already. We can tell each other anything so tell me…" My eyes grew wide when I felt something as cold as ice, but as sharp as a knife press against my neck from behind. "What does she know?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing!" Aster immediately answered. It was obvious that he was worried and I was pretty worried too. I was sure there Delen was in front of me a split second ago. How could these people move so fast?

Sol wasn't entirely convinced with his answer though and tightened his hold around Aster's neck, choking him slowly. Honestly, he wasn't exerting too much effort, but Aster already looked like he was in a world of pain.

"Aster!" I cried out. I tried to run over to him, but I felt the blade dig into my skin and I immediately stopped. I needed my head, you know. "Let go of me you psycho! I don't know anything!"

"We know you don't," Delen calmly answered.

Her reply had caught me off guard for a moment, and I grew even angrier than I was a few seconds ago. "Then what the hell is he doing that for?! He's going to kill him!"

"He won't," she told me and I was a bit surprised she was really talking to me. "But your brother's been so cocky lately that he just deserves a beating right now…" She then spared me a glance before winking at me. "And maybe a bit incentive too… Sol!"

Said man eased up on Aster. "What is it?"

"Doesn't it bore you bullying Aster like this?" she chirped just before she let me go and tossed me onto the ground. "Why not try this one on for size?"

Unfortunately, all three of us got what she meant and Aster was the first to complain. That didn't do him any good though, since ice suddenly came out of nowhere and literally froze him to the ground. "Aster!" I called out, but I felt myself being dragged back by my ponytail.

"Don't you want to play, little girl?"

=oOo=

Opening my eyes, I found myself staring into an unfamiliar white ceiling with an unbelievably bright light bulb. _Gods_. That thing can blind people.

It took me a few seconds before some certain things sank in. First of all was the ceiling, of course. It wasn't my room's, Wenalyn's room's, Vika's room's or any other person's room I could think off. Then, there was the beeping. It was steady and always in a certain rhythm. Third was how I couldn't really move my hands that well. Then last but not the least was how incredibly painful my body was.

Emphasis on _painful_.

Hissing, I tried to push myself up to at least find out where I was and lo and behold, I was in a hospital room, complete with white sheets and all. Now I didn't really hate hospitals, but I wasn't really fond of them.

But I _did_ like how clean it smelled.

Another few seconds of blank staring and I _finally_ realized what had happened.

Aster.

I quickly glanced around, searching for him in the room, but the place was practically empty with the exception of a sleeping Kurapika and me. I blinked. "Kurapika…?" I called out, my voice hoarse and breaking.

My voice wasn't that loud, but somehow, he woke up. Sensitive, that guy was. "M-Mina?" he hesitantly mumbled through cloud of sleepiness he still must have been in the middle of, but it didn't take him long before he was well aware of his surroundings. "Mina! Are you alright?"

I winced a bit at how loud he was being. "Ah… As fine as I can be in a hospital bed," I grumbled, rubbing an ear with my free, dextrose-free hand. "But… how exactly did I get here? And why, in the first place?"

Kurapika stared at me for a while, his expression slowly changing from a mild shock to worry. "According to the staff, somebody had carried you in. You were soaked with blood, badly cut and bruised and even suffered from a few fractures," he quietly replied. While he was enumerating all those _lovely_ things, I could feel myself gradually frown. What the hell happened? "Fortunately, the doctors have stopped all the bleeding and are advising you to take it easy for a few days, even weeks if possible." I could still feel his eyes on me even though I was staring at my hands. "Could you tell me what happened the other night?"

I looked up. "The other night?" I echoed. How long had I been asleep? "You mean…"

The blonde nodded. "It's been one whole day, Mina, and everyone's worried."

"Serena? What did you tell her?"

"I told her as much as I knew," he honestly replied. "She was unhappy to hear that you had gone such lengths to pursue a man you weren't sure of to be Aster. Everyone was unhappy."

"But it _was_ him!" I argued, balling my needleless hand into a fist. "It was really him. I saw him with my own eyes. I heard him with my own ears." Kurapika's hand came into view and he eased out my fist and held my hand.

"I'll take your word for it then," he quietly said. "Now if you could tell me what happened…"

Still frowning, I closed my eyes and thought long and hard about it. "I followed him. Almost reached the city limits too… I was talking to him when some of his people showed up and started beating him up for some stupid reason… And then…" I was trying hard to remember, but I was clawing at nothing but thin air. "And then…"

"Mina?"

I raised a hand to shush him. "Wait. Give me a sec. I'll remember. I'm sure I'll remember…" It took me a bit work to piece it all back together, but there were still some bits missing. What I _did_ manage to come up with was something I never thought I'd be able to see, or do, again.

Vaguely, I could recall strings, screams and blood. A lot of blood. Put those three things together and I could only come up with one thing that could've happened.

It was Bendot all over again.

In the background, I could hear the heart monitor picking up its pace and judging by the squeezing Kurapika was doing to my hand, he was getting worried. "I… I-" And it was at that moment the rest of my friends decided to pop up.

What wonderful timing those four had.

Absolutely wonderful.

Oh, and look. They dragged Serena in here too.

How absolutely, positively _delightful_. Because nothing beats a recovery than an interrogation.

"Mina!" Vika bawled as she tried to jump-hug me, but thankfully, Fritz managed to pull her back before she could break any of my remaining unbroken bones. "Why did you do that?" she continued to cry. "We were so worried."

Guilt.

Wenalyn, who was still standing by the door way, hissed. "You are an idiot, I tell ya! You're really the perfect example of an idiot! Have you honestly gone out of your mind?!"

More guilt.

"Mina…" Marcel quietly said as he walked over to the side of my bed and placed a hand on my head. Everyone was pretty surprised that he had called me 'Mina.' We all thought it was impossible. "Don't do that ever again, ya hear? I don't wanna lose you too…"

"We heard from the nurses you were in critical condition when you came in," Fritz explained, seeming to be the only one who had his shit together somehow. "Said that if you had come a minute later, you would have lost too much blood."

Triple guilt.

"But-"

"Not a single word from you, Demina!" Serena suddenly exclaimed. Everyone in the room fell silent and she took that chance to clear her throat. "Kids, can you please leave me and Demina alone for a few minutes. We need to talk." The 'kids' shot each other looks before quietly nodding and left the room. The room grew considerably colder the moment they left and I couldn't bring myself to look at my 'mother' in the eye.

"Serena, I can-"

"Kurapika has already explained to me what you did," she sternly said. "Demina, what you did was reckless and dangerous! You followed a complete stranger in the middle of a festival! Do you know how many people get abducted during these things?"

"But it was really Aster!"

Serena raised a hand at me, signaling me to stop talking. "I've had enough of this, Demina. You can't keep chasing after ghosts."

"Ghosts?" I echoed. "Why does it sound like you've given up?" The doctor stiffened at that. "You couldn't have, could you?"

"Demina, I do not like your tone," she warned.

"And I don't like yours either!"

"Demina! You are _not_ going to talk to your mother that way!"

"For the love of humanity, you're not my mom! You said so yourself!" I saw Serena widen her green eyes – eyes that looked a lot like Aster's – and it was then I realized what a big mistake I made.

Serena's mouth had fallen open and she quickly closed it shut before lowering her head. "I see…" she quietly murmured.

"Serena…"

The woman shook her head. "No, you're right. There's no need to apologize. You are more than old enough to make your own decisions. You can take care of yourself."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Go get some rest, honey," she hummed as she made her way for the door. "You'll need it."

And with that, she shut door behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts.


	23. Chapter 23

"_You'll need it."_

=oOo=

Toss.

Turn.

Flip.

For the nth time tonight, I sat up on my bed and ended up staring at my hands. It was dark inside my room, thanks to my curtains being shut, but I could tell that outside, the moon was glowing brightly, even though it wasn't full yet. It had been a full day since I got out of the hospital. The doctors were pretty surprised by how fast I healed and didn't think it was necessary to hold me any longer, so they sent me home.

I really wish they didn't though, since it meant having to stay with Serena under the same roof. We still hadn't talked to each other since we fought with the exception of the usual, monotonous – not to mention cold – greetings. I was pretty sure that was the reason why I couldn't go to sleep. It was the guilt of saying those things to her. She was just looking out for me, right? So I shouldn't have said the words I said. Sure, she wasn't really my mother, but she might as well be with everything she had done for me.

But then, there was another reason why I was up this late, I guess.

Aster.

That idiot popped out of nowhere, dragged along his work buddies and disappeared, like he was never there. Everyone was curious as to how he was, but I couldn't really answer them properly since I didn't really get a chance to really talk to him.

A sigh escaped my lips as I turned to the nearby fishbowl. At least Arvin was alright and didn't suffer Serena's wrath. I guess she fed him some breadcrumbs or something while I was away. He was still swimming around and around which got me thinking: when did he ever sleep?

Did goldfish even sleep?

Did fish in _general _sleep?

I chuckled a bit and shook my head when I realized silly I was being. There were much more things to worry about besides a fish's sleep patterns. "Oh Arvin, you stupid little thing," I hummed, wrapping my arms around my legs. "You're so lucky you don't have a complicated life… Mine's like something a schizophrenic wrote."

The fish answered with a bubble.

Another sigh escaped my lips. That's what I get for talking to a goldfish. A burp. "What do _you_ think, Arvin? About Aster. You remember him, right?" I paused a bit, realizing what I said. "Of course you don't. You're a goldfish. You have a memory span of three seconds, but anyway, here's the gist." And just like that, I went off talking to my stupid pet like he was a real, talking human being. Sometimes I'd think that I was getting crazier by doing this, but Serena had told me once that I needed an outlet, and if talking to a fish worked, then I should just go for it.

When I finally finished talking, I rested my head on my knees. "Well?"

Arvin swam around in a circle a few times and then let out three bubbles which had me burying my head into my knees. Well, he didn't give me any advice, but at least I got something out of my system.

"I'm just wondering what Aster got himself into this time…" I murmured. "I bet he's in some deep shit. He must be if he looks like that. All… dead looking… and serious. _So_ not like him…" I stole a glance at the still circling fish and frowned a bit. "You know, I sometimes wish you were a dog, or a cat, so I could hug you when I need to." I couldn't possibly hug a fish, you know. That'd kill him. "But back to the point… What do I do about Serena?"

The most obvious thing was to apologize, but apparently, it was easier said than done. Maybe it was just me, but Serena was being a lot, _lot_ colder. It was expected, but she usually gave a chance to apologize, not shut me out like what she was doing right now.

My thinking, however, was cut short when I felt my stomach grumble. A bit embarrassed, I wrapped my arms around myself and looked around. I caught sight of my alarm clock and it read a little bit after one-thirty in the morning. It had only been six hours since I last ate, but then again, I couldn't really eat as much as I could since I could feel Serena's eyes on me.

Mumbling, I got up onto my feet and stretched a bit before leaving my room. I yawned a bit as I made my way down to the kitchen and looked for something to munch on. I opened the fridge and saw the night's leftovers, but that'd mean heating it up again and I was just too lazy to that at this hour. I then turned to the table and thank the gods above, there were a few fruits. Picking up a shiny green apple, I started to head back to my room.

That is, until I felt something move in the shadows.

I quickly shut my mouth – I'd have to eat my food later – and narrowed my eyes at the surroundings. I left the lights off since I could see everything perfectly – as perfect as a person could in the dark – and pretty much had the house's layout tattooed on my mind. Lowering my apple, I slowly backed up to one of the drawers as inconspicuously as slid it open quietly to pull out a knife.

And then I saw something move to my left and I could vaguely make out a familiar outline. Not to mention a familiar presence.

"Show yourself before I pin you to the wall," I quietly threatened. Silence greeted me, but I wasn't buying it. I could still feel him there. "Aster. It's you, isn't it? Show yourself before I wake everyone up."

A soft chuckle echoed in the darkness as someone stepped into the moonlight. "You're good," he hummed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was planning on sneaking up to your room and watch you sleep."

I frowned at the idea. It wasn't just weird. It was downright creepy. "What do you want?"

Aster made his way over to a nearby chair and sat himself down quietly. "Can't I drop by and make sure my sister's alright? You took quite a beating a few days ago."

"Thanks to you," I grumbled, my grip around the poor innocent apple I had tightened. "If you had just gone home like you promised, you wouldn't be in whatever mess you are." He made a face. "Now you've got me chasing after you."

He made another face and crossed his arms. "You didn't have to take that Exam. You didn't have to make it a goal to find me. You could've just stayed here and waited, like you promised."

"For how long?" I asked in a clipped tone. "It's already been four years… How long did you expect us to wait? A few more months? Another year?" I shook my head. "You know I don't like that sort of thing, Aster."

His mouth curved downwards into a small frown. "You've got Mom worried."

My own frown deepened. If he was gonna guilt trip me into doing something, then he had another thing coming. "You too."

"Who's gonna take care of her if she loses you?"

Something pulled at my heart, but I pushed it away for the meantime. I wasn't gonna lose this. "What do you think she's gonna do if _she_ loses _you_?"

It was his turn to frown even more. He kept quiet for a few moments before glancing at his wristwatch and hissing a bit. "Mina, I can't stay here any longer. My boss is already looking for me since I should've been back yesterday."

He was gonna leave again. "But Aster-"

"You'll be a good girl, won't you?" he asked as he got up from the chair. "Keep an eye on Mom. She's getting old, you know."

"Keep an eye on her yourself!" I hissed, still keeping my voice down, as I followed him out of the kitchen and into the hallway. "Aster! Don't you walk away from me!"

"I'm not," he evenly replied, opening the front door. "I'm protecting you."

I stopped at what he said. "Protecting me? From what?"

Aster widened his eyes when he realized I heard him. "It's nothing, Mina. Just forget about it. You should just stay here in Corymb, for Mom's sake. She's not as healthy as she used to be, you know."

"Aster…" I growled and I could feel the apple warp a bit at how tight I was holding it already. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

My 'brother' looked me straight in the eye and I could see the internal struggle that was going on. The two of us were close and lying to each other was something we didn't like, not only because it was bad, but also because the guilt would eat us alive. "I found your mother, your _real_ mother, just like I promised."

It took me a few seconds before what he said registered. "You what?!" I gasped and I immediately covered my mouth, not expecting my voice to be as loud as it was. "You what?" I repeated a lot more softly.

The older boy nodded. "You heard me," he quietly answered. "I found your mother and I've even actually met her." His gaze wandered from me for a split second before he focused his attention back to me. "Your mother isn't really well liked by the people I run with. To be honest, they hate her. They want to torture her. They want kill her… And if they found out I knew where her daughter was, they'd be all over you to get to her."

My knees suddenly felt very weak and I ended up having to lean against a wall for support. Actually, I didn't care about my life being in danger with whatever history my mother had with his boss. What mattered was the fact that my mother was alive. _Alive_. "You… You met her…?" I shakily asked. Aster nodded and with that, I rushed over to him and grabbed onto his shirt. "Please, you've got to take me to her! She… She's my mom! I've got to meet her!"

There was this pained look on my 'brother's' face as he turned his head away. "I can't. It's for your own safety, Mina. Even your mom thinks so too, until everything's settled down at least."

I shook my head. "No, you don't understand!" I exclaimed, barely controlling the volume of my voice. "I've got to see her, and remember!"

"Demina!" he sternly said, using that tone I hated, and it had me freeze up. He never called me by my full name. "Stop being so stubborn! You can't see her and that's final!"

It was at that point that the area suddenly grew colder and it wasn't just because the door was open and letting in the late night air. Aster was annoyed with me, if not mad, and I really hated it. Taking a steady breath, I let go of his dark green shirt and closed my eyes, keeping my face as straight as I could. "I get it," I quietly murmured. "Fine. Be that way. I'll find her on my own. Even if it kills me."

"Mina…"

I shook my head. "No. Go on. Head back before Serena wakes up. I'm pretty sure you don't want her to see you too. I'll hunt you down some other time." I opened my eyes and saw an in pain Aster. "Well?"

Aster pulled his eyebrows together, balled his hands into fists and stiffly nodded. "Fine," he huffed before turning his back to me and making his way out the door. I must have struck a nerve somewhere. "You do that when you can finally keep up with me."

"I will," I coldly answered, crossing my arms as I watched him walk away, but then he stopped and turned to say something.

"If it means anything, I gave your mother that photo of yours you hated so much," he hummed. "She was in tears when she saw how much you've grown." I felt the urge to ask, but I knew I wouldn't get anything from him, so I held my tongue. "The two of you… You look a lot alike. Almost identical, so you better stay away from the people working Underground."

Nodding, I replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

With that, he disappeared into thin air, like he was never there.

Frowning, I shook my head and turned back to the house, only to be greeted by the least person I wanted to be greeted by. If this kept up, I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

"Se-"

"That was…" The middle-aged woman's eyes were wide and teary and a thin finger was shakily pointing out towards the spot where Aster had been a while ago. How long had she been there? Why didn't I even notice her? "Aster…?" she choked out and I quietly nodded. "He… But… How…?"

I shrugged. "Told ya I was telling the truth," I bitterly mumbled as I crossed my arms.

"But why did you let him go?!" she asked, her voice louder and shriller. "He was already here and you let him go!"

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. "Even if I tried, he'd still get away," I admitted. I couldn't really place it, but there was something different in the way he moved. He was faster, quieter and much more careful. He wasn't the fumbling, loud idiot he had been four years ago and I could tell that in those four years he somehow outdid me in terms of skills. Between the two of us, I had always been the fastest and quietest, but now… "I'll have to get him back some other way."

My eyes snapped open when I felt the doctor's hands grab onto my shoulders and shake me. "You have to find him, Mina!" she exclaimed, tears finally streaming down her face. It had been a long time since I last saw her cry, and I now I was wishing that it had stayed that way. Like I said a long time ago, I hated being the person that had to bring up bad things. Made me feel guilty. I hated feeling guilty. "Bring him back, please!" she begged, placing her head on my shoulder and I could feel her warm tears seep through the thin fabric of my white tank top.

A sigh escaped my lips as I did the only thing I could think of that would calm people down. I hugged her. "And here I thought you were the smart one in this family," I mumbled into her clothes, feeling a familiar sting to my eyes. "You don't have to tell me something so obvious."

=oOo=

Running a hand through my bangs, I placed my free one on my hips and looked around my room. It was gonna be a long time before I'd get to sleep on my own bed again, but hopefully, Aster would be the guy sleeping in the room right across from mine when I got back. A knock on my door echoed and I turned around just as it slowly creaked open. "Ready to go?" Kurapika hummed, his head popping out of the crack he made.

Amused by the odd sight of having just the blonde's head pop up, I smiled and nodded. "Yep," I chirped as I picked up my bag that was filled with a few sets of clothes, a bit of food and water. "We should better get going," I said, shoving my hands into the pockets of my denim shorts. It felt a bit strange having to go somewhere not wearing my usual orange sweater, but I had apparently ran out of those and was left with a plaid button-up shirt and a white shirt underneath.

It had been two days since Aster dropped by and since then, Serena had all but kicked me out to chase down her son. _Now_, she rushed me.

Downstairs, my buddies all gave me hugs and 'goodbye's and 'good luck's. Vika was on the verge of tears, _again_, and was practically glue to both mine and Kurapika's arms. "Don't goooo," she whined, shaking her head.

Wenalyn, rolling her eyes, walked over and unlatched the younger girl. "For the love of humanity, Vika… They're not gonna disappear forever…" she grunted before turning to me and narrowing her eyes. "You're not, right? Because if you do, I'd find you and then you'd be in a world of pain, understood?"

I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my head as I nodded slowly. And people told me I was the mean one. "You take care, alright, Mina?" Marcel hummed as he patted my head. It was honestly, really nice to hear him using my name again, but I had to admit, I got used to him calling me 'Demi.' "And take care of Kurapika too."

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at the blonde standing right beside me who apparently had his head turned away from me. "Of course," I chirped. "Who else would save his ass?"

The redhead chuckled and hooked an arm around my neck. "Let's just see whose ass would need saving," Wenalyn laughed as she dug her knuckles onto my head. Which hurt, by the way. _A lot._

"It's too bad Fritz isn't here to see you off though," Vika sighed. "He really wanted to come over, but his grandma's making all kinds of excuses to make him stay at Catkin and you know how much of a softie he is when it came to his granny."

"It's the cookies, I tell ya," Marcel grumbled. "She must've put some kind of drug in it that makes people stay and want more. Evil cookies."

By that time, both my eyebrows were up. "Where's Serena? I thought she was gonna-"

"I'm over here, sweetheart." All of us turned around towards the door that led to her study. She pulled up her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose as she walked over to us. "I just got off the phone with your mother, Vika. She had somehow gotten the idea that you were tagging along and was demanding me that I stop you."

Said girl began to chuckle quietly. "It was just a joke," she said in her defense, but Serena just frowned at her.

Serena turned back to Kurapika and I, a hand on her hip. "Already leaving?"

I frowned a bit. "You make it sound like you don't want us to," I huffed and the doctor just rolled her eyes at me.

"Kurapika, our agreement?"

The blonde stiffened a bit before nodding. "Of course."

"What agreement?"

The Kurta shook his head. "It's nothing important, Demina."

"I told you not to call me that."

Sighing, Kurapika said, "It's nothing important, _Mina_. Satisfied?"

My frown deepened. "No."

"Demina, stop being so hard on him," Serena sang. She was already in the doorway, waiting for us to go. Really. With what she's doing, I'd think she was shooing us.

"I'm not being hard on him," I denied. "He's the one keeping up this mysterious guy act."

"And you're playing the role of a dense girl," I heard someone murmur behind me, but I couldn't exactly place who it was. Maybe it was Wenalyn… or Vika.

"Go on, go on," Serena hummed as she all but pushed us out the house. "You'll be late for the train to Raceme."

Making a face, I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at the people standing at the door of my home. There was no doubt I was gonna miss them, even if they were like that. Huffing, I shoved a hand into one of my pockets and waved goodbye. "I'll be back!" I hollered as I turned around. "And I'll be back with Aster, next time!"

As soon as I was sure we were out of their sight, I dropped my arm and adjust my backpack, frowning. I was _so_ going to find him and when I did, he wouldn't be able to run away from me again.


	24. Chapter 24

_I was so going to find him and when I did, he wouldn't be able to run away from me again._

=oOo=

"You look horribly pale, Mina."

A groan escaped my lips as I continued to massage my temples. "Thank you, for kindly pointing that out, Kurapika," I hissed. Whether he frowned or not, I couldn't care less because for the second time in my life, I was stuck on a boat and was gonna be stuck on one for three whole days.

_Three_.

_Whole._

_Days._

Was Kurapika in the right mind when he bought those boat tickets? Hopefully, for his sake, he wasn't. Otherwise, I'd have to suspect that he did this on purpose. The bloody asshole.

"I thought you didn't get seasick," he hummed as he turned his eyes back to his book. On the bright side, he got us a nice boat – I guess being a Hunter _did_ have its pros – but a boat was a boat and it was gonna get itself on water no matter what.

"I don't!" I replied, pushing myself up on my chair to stand and glare at him, only to feel very dizzy and fall right back down. "_Gods_, I hate the water."

"You didn't seem at all affected the first time I met you," he pointed out. "The main source of your problems was the things you kept seeing and hearing… I'm relieved that you finally sorted that one out."

"That's because the first time we met was after only a few days since I boarded," I huffed, still pressing fingers to the sides of my head. "Eight days at sea could do a lot of things to a person, ya know. I guess it kinda just stuck onto me." I paused for a while, thinking over the second part of what Kurapika said. It was true that I didn't get see or hear things anymore and _that_ did me a world of good. "That's why I'm beating myself up in trying to figure out why you chose to go by boat!"

A sigh came from the Kurta's side of the room. "It was the fastest way to reach Dolor."

"An airship would've been faster, you know."

"Indeed," he replied, "were there an airport close to the town. The nearest functioning airport is in Klein. It would have taken us a day to reach Klein, but another week just to cross the border and reach Dolor." At that, he turned to face me, a look that held a challenge on his face. "Would you rather be stuck on a boat for three days, or at the trunk of vehicle for a week?" I felt a frown stretch across my face and a familiar heat crawl up my cheeks as he continued to wear that smug smile on his face.

"Wipe that look off your face or I'll rip it off."

=oOo=

The loud crash I heard shook me awake from my sleep and I immediately pulled out my whip from underneath my pillow, ready to strike at a moment's notice. After several deep breaths and a wide-eyed glance around the fairly large room, I saw nothing out of the ordinary and lowered my weapon. Just as I did though, I saw from the corner of my eye a curled up Kurapika at the farthest edge of his bed.

"Oi," I called out, my voice still sounding a bit groggy. "What was all that racket about?" The Kurta didn't answer, causing me to frown and get off my bed to go and check on him. "Kurapika, hey. Are you awake?" I asked when I reached his bed, but he still didn't answer. I took another good look around and noticed his stuff all cluttered at the foot of his bed. "Geez, don't make me clean this up." Still no answer and I rolled my eyes. "Fine. _Make_ me clean this up," I muttered as I crouched down to clean it up. There was really something I just couldn't stand with messy things.

As soon as I picked up a few books that had fallen out of his bag – honestly, was this dude a walking library? – I caught sight of something undesirable crawl up my arm. Freaking out, I dropped Kurapika's stuff, swatted the offending arachnid off my arm and proceeded to whack it repeatedly with the nearest non-personal-belonging-thing I could find, which was a complementary pair of slippers from the boat. "Die, spider, die!"

Now I wasn't really afraid of spiders, but they simply freaked me out. I mean, they had eight eyes, eight legs and two pincer-like things for their mouth. They spewed out stuff from their ass, captured and wrapped their prey with the said stuff and liquefied them with their venom before sucking out the juices like some smoothie. It was just so, _so_ wrong. Most especially the eyes and legs and pincers. Those were what really got to me.

"Spider?" I suddenly squeaked as soon as the eight-legged creature from hell was dead. Spider? Realization dawned me and I immediately turned to the blonde who was still curled up at the corner. "Kurapika…" I quietly whispered, dropping the abused slipper and crawling over to him. He must've been up finishing a book and was about to hit the sack and keep his stuff when that thing popped out of nowhere. "Hey, it's alright. I took care of it already," I said, settling myself right in front of him. "That thing's long gone."

But my words fell onto deaf ears since he didn't budge.

"Hey, Kurapika," I called out, shaking him a bit. "Snap out of it already. It's gone." Still, he didn't answer and I was getting a bit worried. The last time he freaked was during the Third Phase against the blue person, but he seemed pretty in control back then. I tried one more time, and this time, I called a little louder and shook a little harder. "Ku-ra-pi-ka!"

Finally, he raised his head, but I realized he had his Scarlet Eyes on and it only made me feel bad. I didn't know why exactly, but it did. Maybe because I knew he had to go through so much because of the Spiders. Maybe because I knew I couldn't help him let go of the pain – like I would even try. Or maybe just because I didn't want to see him like this ever again.

A sad sigh escaped my lips as I wrapped my arms around his frozen form. "It's alright, Kurapika," I hummed, running a hand up and down his hair like a mother would do to comfort a kid. "I'm right here… As long as I'm alive, I won't let them hurt you again." I squeaked a bit in surprise when I felt his arms lock themselves behind my back and pull me closer to him.

"Those are some big words, Demina," I heard him bitterly say.

I managed a small smile and hugged him tighter, like I'd never let him go. "I guess they are, but I plan on keeping them, Kurapika."

=oOo=

I flipped through another page, and another, and another before I heard my blonde companion sigh. "You're not reading, Mina."

Frowning, I looked over the book in my hands and shot the Kurta a look. "But it's _so_ boring. I can't believe you actually read these things."

"They're educational."

"They're making my head hurt even more," I huffed. "Don't you have anything more interesting for me to borrow?" Seriously, if I had to look at another page of the world's history and various theories on how it all came to be, I was _so_ gonna jump over board.

Kurapika lowered his own book and met my glare with an even look. "It would help if you tell me what interests you."

I waved a hand in the air. "Just surprise me."

At that, the blonde frowned. "I've been doing that for the last three books and all you've done is skim through a few pages and throw them back to me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? And here I thought you were handing me the same book over and over again."

"Mina…"

"Just kidding," I sang as I hopped onto my feet and shoved them into my boots. "I'm going above deck for a bit. Care to join?" I watched the Kurta consider it for a few seconds before he nodded and put on his own shoes.

Outside, the air was refreshing, though the sight of water made me feel a bit queasy. Why did I have a feeling this was gonna haunt me for the rest of my life? Hopefully, I'd outgrow it. "Doesn't it take you back?" I sighed as I leaned back against the railings and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on my skin. "I can't believe it's only been a few months since the start of the Hunter Exam…"

"Indeed… It feels like it's been a rather long time, hasn't it?"

"Yep," I chirped. "Ever wonder where they all are?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kurapika shut his book and close his eyes, settling himself in the spot beside me. "I do, but I suppose Leorio's still studying for the entrance examinations for med school."

I smiled a bit and closed my eyes. It was rare to have this good a day at sea, or maybe I was just unlucky with boats, but I planned on enjoying this trip as much as I could before we got back to work. "Ah, yeah… And I guess Gon and Killua are up to no good again, huh?"

"Most likely."

"I miss them."

"As do I." A comfortable silence fell between the two of us with nothing but the sound of the waves beating against the ship's hull and the seagulls squawking up above filling the ocean breeze. "Mina, about last night…"

"Hm?"

"You meant what you said, didn't you?"

I pried an eye open and glanced at the Kurta. He still had his eyes closed and had on one of those perpetually calm expressions on his face. "Of course I did," I huffed, closing my eyes, a bit annoyed that he had to ask that. "Ask that again and I'm going to make you regret you ever brought it up."

A chuckle came from the blonde. "Understood," he answered. "But just so we're even, I, too, swear that as long as I'm alive, I won't let anyone, or anything, hurt you."

=oOo=

"You're still up?" I jumped, surprised that someone came above deck at this hour besides me. I turned around and saw my friend walking over to me. Judging by the state of his hair, he had already fallen asleep with a book in hand most probably. "You couldn't sleep?" I nodded. "Nightmares?" I shook my head. "Then what?"

I shrugged. "I just couldn't," I hummed. "Maybe I should try drinking some coffee. That always gets me sleepy."

"I still cannot understand how that works."

"I don't either, but who cares?" I laughed and he ended up laughing with me. "So what brings you up here?"

"Nothing in particular," he replied and the both of us fell quiet after that, until a particularly cold gust of wind blew by and sent a chill down my spine, just when I wasn't wearing that orange button-up shirt of mine. "Cold?"

"A bit, but I'll survive," I chirped. "It's not like a little breeze can kill me."

Frowning, the Kurta unclasped his tabard and hung it over my shoulders. "It might not, but you would most likely get sick," he pointed out. Blinking, I shifted my gaze between Kurapika and the piece of blue cloth that awfully smelled a lot like him before smiling to myself and holding onto his tabard.

Chuckling, I moved closer to the Kurta – which surprised him, by the way – and threaded an arm around his. "Thanks, Kurapika." The blonde didn't reply and simply nodded, a faint shade of red taking over his face and I couldn't help but smile a bit wider. Somehow, this whole scene felt nice and warm and I would've done everything I could to keep it like this for a bit longer. "Say Kurapika…"

"Yes?"

"That night, on the boat, when I attacked you," I quietly began, my hold on him growing a bit tighter. "Why did you come after me when I ran out the room?"

It took him a few moments to respond. "You were a loud girl when I first boarded the ship. Honestly, I thought you were an idiot, but you proved me wrong eventually. That night… I suppose I followed you out because a girl couldn't be as boisterous as yourself if she didn't have something to hide and that by following you, I found out."

I laughed a bit. "You sound like a stalker."

"You've called me worse."

"I guess," I hummed. "But with what you're saying, I sound like a very interesting person. Tell me, have I really enchanted you that much?" I laughed, shaking my head.

An amused sound came from the Kurta. "Maybe you have," I heard him murmur and that had me stop my laughing and stare at the blonde. That was a joke, I tell ya, a _joke_. This guy really had to stop taking things too seriously. It took me a while before I noticed how Kurapika's hand was already on my cheek – when did that get there? – and I couldn't help but burn up at the contact, not to mention the fact that he was leaning in. What was he doing? "Mina…"

The look in his eyes was what did it for me and my knees gave way, a small shriek escaping my lips just as Kurapika steadied me. "Woah…" I nervously said, laughing a bit. "I got a bit dizzy there." A bit more of nervous laughter. "I guess I better get back to room and sleep it off, huh? I mean, we're docking tomorrow, right? Better be ready for the hike!" I chirped. I didn't even bother to wait for Kurapika's reply when I bade him good night and made a run for the room, slamming the door behind me and jumping into my bed.

But even in the comfort of my very own bed, thoughts of what he did earlier kept me awake and heaven above, I could still _smell _him. And then I realized I was still wearing his tabard and I quickly removed it and threw it to the ground. I needed to clear my head and the very presence of that thing was making it hard to do so.

This was _so_ getting out of hand, Demina. _So_ getting out of hand.

I was telling myself that, but in the end, I got up, picked up Kurapika's tabard and slept right beside it.

I was _so_ screwed.

=oOo=

Let's split up, he said.

It'd be faster, he said.

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I leaned back against the rickety chair I was on and ran a hand through my bangs. This was the last time I was gonna let his have his way. I really didn't have a problem with splitting up, and I knew it'd take a lot less time if we did, but what was the point of it all if he was still gonna run late?

"Goddamn blonde," I huffed, crossing my arms and closing my eyes. Not really the wisest thing to do inside a shady pub in a shady town, but it wasn't like I was gonna let my guard down.

Honestly, Dolor wasn't as suspicious as we thought it was. Sure, there were the usual lowlifes, wanted criminals, runaways and outcasts, but it was a pretty quiet town. Of course, quiet didn't really mean it was safe. It just meant that people around these parts minded their own business, and nothing else. It was kinda like not messing with bull to avoid getting the horns kind of thing.

I had to frown at that thought though out of worry for the late Kurta. Kurapika wasn't the meddlesome type – he was curious, bordering gossipy, but not meddlesome – and he wouldn't act like an idiot unless he really lost it. But then again, if people said the wrong things to him at the wrong time, all hell would unleash.

Sighing, I made up my mind to go and look for him. That asshole was really gonna run me ragged if I'm gonna have to go and fetch him every time we split up.

Ah, Kurapika. Such a complicated person you were, doing the things you did.

I opened my eyes and barely held back a small shriek when I saw a serious-looking man-stranger watching me. For the love of humanity, who was this guy?! And how the hell did I miss some stranger slipping into the seat right in front of me? I inwardly frowned. I was losing my touch. Aster was one thing – I had convinced myself that that time was a slip up since I wasn't really in the best state of mind – but this dude was a whole other case.

"Do you need anything from me?" I evenly asked, narrowing my eyes at the dark-eyed man. He had a head of long, black hair neatly tied back into a low ponytail and a passive expression that was proving to be very annoying. If he didn't wipe that look off his face anytime soon, I'd be more than happy to do it for him. But he didn't look like he was from around here, judging from the way he dressed. Actually, if it wasn't for the way he suddenly appeared, he looked like a respectable man.

"Actually, it's _you_ who needs something from _me_," he smoothly replied, confident.

An eyebrow of mine twitched. Arrogant little bastard. "Is that so?" Hopefully, Kurapika would be back before I did something stupid and got the both of us kicked out of this town. "And what would that be?"

His expression never faltering, he reached inside the khaki blazer he was wearing and pulled out two photos. My eyes grew wide when he held them up for me to see. One was Aster's and the other was of a woman I didn't know, but I felt like I should. Both looked like they weren't aware they were being watched. "Information."

And just like that, the whole thing became several times more serious and I began hoping Kurapika would be back _later_. I just didn't want him to get involved with this person before I've made sure it was relatively safe.

"It looks like I've caught your attention," he commented as he set down the two pieces of shiny paper on the table separating the two of us.

I narrowed my eyes at the photos then at him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ranno," he quietly said, clasping his hands together and resting them on the table. "And it has come to our attention that you would like to negotiate with us?"

Us? "So I take it you're the people Hisoka's so proud of," I grunted.

"An acquaintance we'd rather not have, but the man delivers to us clients that are willing to pay," he hummed. "Therefore, we cannot complain." He stole a glance at the photos before returning his attention to me. "However, if what we've gathered on you is correct, you do not have enough money to-"

"Who said I was gonna accept you services?"

This man, Ranno, gave me a hard look. "The work has been done and the information you want is almost at hand, Demina Lovell." I stiffened, not just because he used my full name in a very mean voice despite that fact I haven't even introduced myself, but he used my _full_ name. I wasn't one hundred percent sure about that though, but it struck a nerve. "Normally, we would operate after payment has been received, but Hisoka had been very… persuasive and I agreed to take you in as compensation."

I blinked. "What?"

Ranno raised an eyebrow. "Did I not make myself clear enough? You would have to work for us in order to get the information you want so much."

"Like hell I would!" I growled, slamming my hand onto the old table and drawing the attention of the few people that were inside this pub.

"Is that your final decision?" he asked, not even the least bit fazed. "Because if it is, then I would sell this information, not only of your dear brother's and mother's, but also yours, to people who are willing to pay." A ghost of a smirk appeared on the man's lips and I couldn't help but feel my composure slip the slightest bit. "From what I've read, your mother is quite infamous in the Underworld. People would kill to know where she is, or even where her daughter is." I gritted my teeth and balled my hands into fists. This guy was playing dirty. "Your brother, on the other hand… I'm sure someone-"

"Stop it…" I muttered. "Fine, I'll work. Just… don't sell them out." If what he was going on about was true, then I couldn't risk putting them in danger.

An amused-sounding hum came from Ranno. "I'm glad we've come to an understanding," he said as he got up. "My people and I are staying at a town not too far from here. I'll send someone over to pick you up tomorrow night. Just bring what you need and nothing else." I begrudgingly nodded. "And about the Kurta…"

My head shot up. He knew about Kurapika too?

"You leave him behind."


	25. Chapter 25

_I don't know how to feel about this one..._

* * *

"_You leave him behind."_

=oOo=

"It was nice of them to let us stay in their home, wasn't it?" Kurapika mused as he settled himself on one of the beds and I absentmindedly nodded as I stared out the window with my arms crossed. It was a little before sundown when the Kurta came back, but to his defense, he had taken longer than expected because he went looking for a place to crash for a while, which was where we were at now. An old couple's home. They were few of the original citizens of the place and though things had gotten out of hand here in Dolor, they wouldn't leave their land. "You seem distracted. Did you find anything?" Sighing, I shook my head turned away from the window and headed over my bed. "Why do I find that not convincing?"

"Because apparently I'm a horrible liar," I muttered. Honestly, I didn't know how that worked. Was it something on my face? I could look at people straight in the eye and lie, but they would always catch me. Was it some kind of habit I had that I didn't know about?

"Shall I ask again?"

"The answer would just be the same."

"And why would that be?"

Frowning, I rolled over on my bed to side where I could see Kurapika. "Because right now, I don't know how to say stuff to you without-"

A round of knocking came at the door followed by an old woman's voice. "Dinner is ready," she sang. "Won't you come and join us?"

"Thank you. We will be down in a few seconds," Kurapika replied before turning back to me. "You were saying?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing," I huffed, jumping onto my feet and going over to his bed to pick him up. "Come on," I grunted as I grabbed the Kurta by the hand. "Better not keep them waiting. It's already bad enough that we're giving them trouble."

=oOo=

I knew it was bad to be too curious, but with all the photos hanging about the house, I couldn't help but _be_ curious. Each faded photo had a story to tell, I could feel it, and it was kinda interesting to figure out what they were trying to say.

"My husband was a photojournalist, back in the day," the lady of the house – Elsa – hummed as she came to stand beside me. Dinner had just ended and with Kurapika having volunteered to do the dishes for them, I decided to linger a bit and wait for him before going up. "Absolutely loved taking pictures of just about anything," she chuckled.

"It shows," I murmured.

The woman must have taken my words the wrong way, judging from her reaction. "Oh, I'm sorry," Elsa suddenly squeaked. "I didn't mean to bore you. It's just that it's been so long since we had guests and an old lady must show off every now and again."

I shook my head. "It's alright," I reassured her, managing a small smile. "I didn't mean to sound rude."

The old lady smiled warmly at me. "You're a good child, Mina," she laughed. "Would you be so kind as to help me with something in the living room?"

I blinked. "Oh, of course. What is it?" I asked as she led the way.

"It's nothing too difficult," she began, "but they're quite a lot and I was hoping to finish them today." Else flicked open the light switch and I was greeted with a large box filled with frames and albums right beside a smaller box jam-packed with photos. "These are photos my children took when they were young," she stated, picking up one of the glossy pieces of paper. "Some are photos they sent, like this one." She showed me the picture in her fingers and it was of three kids playing by the beach. "These are my grandchildren from my eldest. Charming aren't they?"

I smiled a bit. "They're adorable. So I take it we just have to put them in the frames and albums?"

Else nodded. "Yes, if it's alright."

"It's fine, Elsa," I chirped, picking up an album and sitting myself down on a chair. "We're the ones intruding. This is the least we could do."

The old woman chuckled. "I appreciate it, darling," she hummed before sitting down herself and setting to work. From the other side of the corridor, I could hear water running and I guess Kurapika was still working. Rin, Elsa's husband, was with him, fixing that broken cupboard I heard him complain about earlier. "Oh, this brings me back…"

I looked up from the stuff I was working on and glanced at what Elsa was holding. "You're… wedding?"

The old lady nodded, her loose bun of silver hair shaking a bit. "You have good eyes," she commented, choosing a frame that it would fit in from the box. "I can't believe I haven't put it up yet."

"Here you go," I said, handing over a frame for the thing.

"Thank you, darling… Oh how I remember the time Rin and I first met," she cooed in a lovestruck way. It was amusing how in love the two of them were with each other after all these years living in a place like this. "Rin was trying to snap a photo of an event when my friends and I walked in on the whole thing. We practically took up the whole photo," she laughed, shaking her head, and I couldn't help but smile. She was a sweet old lady. "And what about you, Mina? How long have the two of you been together?"

"Uh… I don't mean to be rude but… What?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "You and Kurapika," she pointed out and I fought the urge to slap my forehead. I did, however, fidget in my seat a bit and fumble with the stuff I was working on. "Oh, did I misunderstand something?"

I cleared my throat. "Nothing… romantic is going on between us," I slowly said and I couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty when I saw her expression sadden. Well, I was telling the _truth_. Nothing was going on. Absolutely nothing. Except that thing on the boat, but I didn't even understand _what_ that was. "We've only known each other for almost three months. We're close and I'd do anything to see him happy, but we're simply friends."

Now both the woman's eyebrows shot up. "That's nonsense," she huffed and I had to admit, I did _not_ see that coming. "Child, I've seen all eight of my children fall in love several times and get married and what I see between the two of you is nothing short of young love."

An eye of mine twitched while the rest of my face began to heat up. "I-It's nothing like that, honestly," I weakly argued. "He and I…" I shook my head. "It's just that… I can't…"

"Is there someone else?"

My eyes grew wide. "O-Of course not!" I stammered in surprise. What happened to sweet old Elsa? Who was this? "I mean, not on my part but-" I caught myself before I could say more stupid stuff and went back to the almost full album on my lap.

"I caught you," Elsa sang as she placed her completed album and frames on a nearby table, a smile of triumph on her face. "I might be old, but I'm not-" A crash echoed from the other side of the hallway and I immediately got up and rushed over to the kitchen.

"Kurapika!" I called out as soon as I saw him bleeding and I quickly ran to his side. "Are you alright? What happened here?" I worriedly asked as I took a look at his blood-covered hand.

"It's nothing little missy," Rin chuckled. "I just surprised him is all when I accidentally dropped my tools. No need for a heart attack."

I pulled my eyebrows together and turned towards the old man. "Then why the blood?"

"I was holding a brittle cup when he dropped his things," Kurapika explained. "I had accidentally crushed it. I apologize for that. I'll replace it."

"No need to worry," Elsa sighed as she handed me a small towel. "We were meaning to throw it away anyway. Mina, why don't you take care of your friend's cuts? There's a first aid kit in your room. It should still be good. We'll finish things up here."

Nodding, I gently wrapped the blonde's hand with the piece of cloth and eased the boy up. "Come on, you idiot. Let's get you patched up."

"When you say it, it sounds like an ordeal," he chuckled and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"It's gonna be, if you don't shut your mouth."

=oOo=

"That should do it," I huffed as I tied the bandage securely at Kurapika's newly mummified hand. The blonde lifted it and began flexing it a bit. "I remember the time when I had a bad hand," I hummed, beginning to put away the stuff I had used. "Do you?"

The blonde flinched. "Yes, I do. Again, I have already apologized for that," he sighed.

I smiled a bit, elbowing the boy. "Just pulling your leg, Kurapika," I quietly chuckled as I got up from his bed and made my way over to the cabinet and put the first aid kit back. "Still haven't heard a 'thank you' though."

"Thank you."

"I can't hear you," I sang, my smile growing wider.

"Demina."

It was my turn to flinch. "No need to be forceful," I grunted, pouting as I plopped myself on my bed. A sigh escaped my lips as I felt all my muscles slowly relax and ease out. "Kurapika?" The blonde hummed. "Rin and Elsa are still in love, aren't they?"

The Kurta took a few moments before replying. "Yes, they very much are," he quietly said. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering…" I hummed as I rolled over to my side so I could see the blonde and for some reason, I've seen this somewhere before. Déjà vu, was it? I thought over what I wanted to say, shook my head at realizing how stupid it was and closed my eyes. I could be such a girl sometimes, thinking about getting married when all of this blew over. Well, that was gonna happen a long, _long_ time from now… _If_ it would happen. "It's nothing," I sighed, smiling to myself. "Forget I said anything."

It was then that someone came knocking at our door. "Mina, Kurapika," we heard Rin call out. "Are you kids still awake?"

"Yes," my blonde friend answered as I heard his sheets shift, probably to get up and get the door. "Is everything alright?" he asked just as the door creaked open. I forced my eyes open to watch and an embarrassed-looking Rin and a grinning Elsa were standing in the doorway.

"Oh, everything's fine," Elsa cooed, waving a hand. "We just wanted something to remember you by. It's not often that we have guests, you see."

"A… remembrance?" Kurapika echoed, voicing my thoughts.

Rin nodded and lifted the black device that was hanging from his neck. "Won't you take a photo with us?" Kurapika turned to me and I just shrugged. It was just a photo. It wasn't gonna kill us. Besides, I didn't have a picture of Kurapika and I yet.

I frowned inwardly.

I gotta stop thinking that.

"I don't see the harm," the blonde replied as he opened the door fully for them. "Mina, get up."

"I'm up, I'm up," I hummed as I got myself onto my feet. "So where are we gonna do this?"

"Just downstairs, dear," Elsa answered. "We were supposed to ask after dinner, but with what happened earlier… Is your hand alright?"

The Kurta nodded. "It's nothing too serious, and it's been well taken care of." I must have been seeing things since I thought I saw Kurapika send me a small smile just as he said that. I shook my head.

Seeing things, I tell ya.

=oOo=

"I'll keep this."

"Ei? But I wanted to keep that!"

Kurapika smirked. "You snooze, you lose," he huffed, waving a photo of the two of us in the air.

Frowning, I reached out to snatch the thing away from him, but he moved it at the last second. "Honestly, you act so unlike you that it's frustrating," I grunted as I tried to chase after the piece of glossy paper. "Now give it to me!"

"And you act so much like a child that it's amusing," he chuckled, continuing to play this game of cat and mouse with me.

"Hand it over."

"No," he evenly answered. "You're keeping majority of the photos. At least let me keep this one."

I couldn't stop the blush that quickly crept up my face. "I am _not_!" I huffed. "Now give it." The photo moved away again and I couldn't help but pout. "A trade then?" I offered, not really liking the idea of having to let go of one – or maybe more – photo for that particular piece he was holding.

The Kurta raised his eyebrows and looked like he was considering the offer. I guess he was since he eventually nodded after a few seconds. "Alright, a trade."

Grumbling curses to myself, I laid down all the photos I was supposed to keep. There were twenty pieces all in all that Rin and Elsa gave us and I was holding onto twelve. "So which one–" – or ones – "–would it be?" I patiently watched with my arms crossed as the boy scanned the photos one by one. He then pointed somewhere behind me and I looked around, an eyebrow raised and saw two turned over photos peaking under my pillow on the other bed. I could've sworn the blood drained from my face when I realized what those were. The pictures Ranno left me.

"Those," he quietly said.

"No," I quickly replied. "Those aren't even part of the pile. Pick from the ones over here."

"What are those?"

"They're nothing."

Kurapika gave me a look. "You're hiding something."

"Am not."

"You're a horrible liar."

"Again with that."

"It's the truth," he huffed as he got up and without thinking, I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down. "Mina?"

"You are _not_ looking at those," I growled. Not appreciating my tone, the Kurta frowned and turned me over, holding me down to his bed with him on top of me. It was in an awkward position for me to be in and I would've loved to get out of it as soon as possible, but he was very heavy and I couldn't push him off just like that without proper motivation.

"And why not?" he asked in a serious tone that I rarely heard him use on me. It was a bit unnerving, but I steeled myself. He was _so_ not getting those photos.

"Just no, so get off of me," I hissed. He didn't budge and that only got me more annoyed. "Kurapika," I darkly said as I glared into his equally burning brown eyes. "If you do not get off in ten seconds, I'll-"

"You'll what?"

My mouth fell open at what he said. He was being very unreasonable and was actually challenging me. "Ku-" My eyes grew wide and my whole body froze up when I felt something warm and soft on my lips. I could feel a hand of his travel to the back of my neck and pull me closer to him. All the while, my stomach began to turn in a way I knew it shouldn't and I fought to urge to… I dunno… do anything.

The whole thing, I knew, lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like it took centuries before Kurapika pulled away, his face flushed, and I swear I must've looked the same for the few short moments that I used to gather my thoughts. And once I _did_ manage to pull myself together, my eyes grew wide and my hands flew to cover my mouth while I could feel my whole body shake.

Breathe, Demina, goddamit. Remember how to breathe.

"D-Demina," I heard Kurapika call out, worried, but I just ignored him, turned my head away and closed my eyes.

He… He just _kissed_ me!

"Mina, please look at me," he pleaded but I shook my head wildly and as soon as I felt him remove his weight from me, I slipped away like an eel. I didn't care when I fell on the floorboards on my back. I just wanted to get away. "Mina, I'm sorry," he continued to say, but I just backed up until my back hit the wall. "Mina… I don't know what-"

I lifted a hand, signaling him to stop from whatever he was doing. "Just… stay where you are," I shakily said. "Don't come any closer. Don't say a word. I…" I unconsciously licked my lips and I immediately wished I hadn't. It still tasted like him and that sent my stomach turning and my cheeks burning. "I'm going to bed…" I dared to spare him a glance and he was watching me with a worried-slash-guilty look on his face.

"If that's what you-"

"Yeah, I need to get some rest," I quickly said as I got up and all but ran for my bed. "Good night!" I exclaimed as I threw the sheets over my head and made sure my back was facing him, heart still pounding in my ears and my face still as hot as the sun.

"… Good night, Mina."


	26. Chapter 26

_Another one I don't know how to feel about... Not to mention not one of my best._

* * *

"… _Good night, Mina."_

=oOo=

It was a weird way to wake up, you know. Your eyes suddenly just opening and you just feel… awake. It was like I had just closed my eyes then opened them, then boom. It was morning. I kept still for while, a bit confused why everything was so white before I realized I was completely under my blanket. The reason why dawned me a few seconds later and I immediately felt the heat rush up my face.

Goddamit.

His lips on mine, surprisingly warm and soft, and the way my heart raced when he kissed me. How breathless he had left me the few short seconds before I freaked out and shut him out. The memory sent chills down my spine and I didn't know whether that was good or bad. But I guess the worst part of it was the small, tiny, little neglected voice I kept pushing to back of my mind that whispered to me that I liked it.

I inwardly groaned.

I wake up and _that's_ the first thing on my mind?

Lo and behold, I was suddenly very aware that I was sharing the same room with _that_ guy and though I was pretty sure he was still asleep, I couldn't take any chances of him calling me out, just in case he _was_ awake. So I needed to calm the hell down before I suffocated myself with my own blanket.

Breathe, Demina. Just keep breathing and _calm down_.

It wasn't like it was the end of the world. It wasn't like I was gonna fumble and blush and hyperventilate every single time I saw him. No. I was much more mature, and composed, and rational than that.

"…_Kurapika has a thing for you."_

My eyes grew wide and I couldn't help but cover my ears. _Thank you_ Killua's voice for helping out. _Gods_. Why did I keep remembering the wrong things at the wrong time? I shifted a bit on my bed and heard a small crunch. An eyebrow raised, I let one hand feel around for the source of the sound and pulled out two photos from beneath my pillow and just like that, I had another problem.

I had to leave tonight and I still hadn't said a word to Kurapika.

A new wave of heat rushed to my cheeks and for the love of humanity, I couldn't even _think_ of his name without making myself look like a fool. Why couldn't the gods above just kill me now if this was how it was gonna be? Those sick, sick bastards. And now I had the feeling I wouldn't be able to tell him. What? Was I just gonna disappear? Please. I couldn't do that to him.

That was just plain old cruel.

Frowning, I rolled over and lifted my sheets a bit. From where I was, I could see he had his back turned to me, but judging by the way he was breathing, he was pretty much asleep. Unless he could just quietly lie there knowing that the girl he kissed was right here. Please, I couldn't be the only rattled one.

Finding a bit of comfort in knowing he was asleep, I quickly and quietly got myself onto my feet and grabbed my bag. A nice bath should do me some good so I tried to make my way out – the bathroom was down the hall – but I made the mistake of looking the Kurta's way. My eyebrows pulled together when I noticed the troubled look on his face. He was having a bad dream.

My legs moved on their own and I found myself standing by his bed, watching him sleep. It was creepy, really, and I couldn't help but frown at that fact. "Why did you have to do that?" I bitterly asked, a hand of mine reaching out to push away the hair covering his face. It was a little too late when I realized what I did and the overly sensitive blonde stirred and woke up.

Heat rushed up to my cheeks as I watched him slowly make sense of his surroundings, and when he did, I saw him his face grow red and his eyes go wide. See, I wasn't the only one who's rattled.

"A-Ah…" I lamely began as I took a step back. "Uh… I-I was just gonna take a bath and… uh… Good morning!" I exclaimed just before running out the room and slamming the door beside me. Real smooth, Demina. _Real_ smooth. My face felt like it was as hot as the sun and my heart was racing like never before. _Gods_, I could hear every single, hurried beat in my ears.

"Mina? You're up early," came Elsa's amused voice. "Is Kurapika awake as well?"

Blinking, I turned towards the old woman – still in her sleeping clothes – and nodded. "G-Good morning, Elsa," I stammered. "Yeah, h-he's awake. I was just planning on taking a bath is all…"

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "I see… You look feverish, honey," she commented. "Are you feeling well?"

"No! I mean yes!" I quickly replied. "I'm fine. Absolutely, perfectly fine." The woman gave me an odd look and before she could even open her mouth to ask any more questions, I spoke up. "The bathroom… Is right down this way, right?" Elsa pulled her eyebrows together before nodding. "Thank you." And with that, I made a not-so-obvious run for it.

=oOo=

Kurapika had tried talking to me all morning and I did everything to avoid him. Sure, it was my fault for dragging this out like this, but _none_ of this was supposed to happen if he hadn't done what he did. He shouldn't have done that. I mean, I didn't _entirely_ hate it, but he still shouldn't have.

I spared the boy in question a glance and he was busying himself with a few papers he had managed to get from the locals. Before everything went out of hand yesterday, he had told me that the residents had heard of something like an agency not too far away from here and right now, we were trying to figure out where _exactly_ that was.

The blonde then suddenly looked up from his papers and glanced at me. Our gazes locked for a split second before I tore my eyes away from his and I focused my attention back to the map in front of me. _Gods,_ this was difficult.

"Mina."

"Shush," I hissed. "I'm concentrating."

He heaved a sigh. "You aren't," he pointed out.

"I'm _trying_."

"And failing."

"I wonder why," I grunted, flicking a stray lock of hair away from my face. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. With him around, I wouldn't be able to get anything done. All my thoughts were going back to what happened last night and it was just getting me feel all weird again. Shaking my head, I got up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm getting something to drink. Want anything?"

"No, thank you," he quietly replied. "I'm fine."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself," I huffed as I made my way to the counter.

"What would the little miss like?" the bartender asked, grinning at me.

I met him with a straight face. "Got anything that'd kill me?"

The man's expression immediately dropped. "Actually…"

Rolling my eyes, I sat on the barstool. "Just give me something very cold and non-alcoholic."

"Alls we got is soda." I waved a hand to let him know I was fine with that and he went away to fix something up for me. I heaved as sigh and propped an elbow on the counter and let my head rest on my open palm. This game I was playing was wearing me out. I'd have to face Kurapika properly sooner or later. I couldn't keep giving him the cold shoulder. "Here you go missy," the man grunted as he handed me a glass of what I assumed was soda.

"Thanks," I grumbled as I paid for the stuff and headed back to my table. "Any progress?"

Kurapika shook his head. "Nothing conclusive, though these prove to be an interesting read."

I raised an eyebrow. "Lemme see," I hummed, putting down my drink and reaching over to snatch the papers from him. But when I grazed his hand, heat suddenly came rushing up my face and I quickly sat back down on my chair and turned back to my map, finding it very interesting all of a sudden. "I'll take a look after you're done."

A sigh escaped from the Kurta's lips. "Demina…"

I flinched. "I told you not to call me that."

Another sigh. "Mina, can't we talk?"

"We're talking."

"You're being a smartass, Mina," he replied.

"And so are you," I huffed. "Now aren't we just a swell couple?" At that moment, we caught each other's eyes and I didn't know how I should feel. Embarrassed, or totally annoyed. "I'm going back to Elsa's place," I grumbled, getting back up. I couldn't even breathe the same air with that guy without getting so… messed up.

"I'll stay here for a while."

You better. "See ya later."

=oOo=

"Trouble in paradise, I see," Rin hummed as soon as I passed by him on my way up to the room Kurapika and I were sharing.

"There's trouble," I grunted, pausing at the stairs, "but I'm not sure if paradise is where it's at."

"Is that so little missy?" the old man asked, leaning against the banister. "Care to update an old man?"

A huff escaped my lips. "Sorry, Rin," I grumbled. "Even _I_ don't know what's going on," I bitterly admitted.

"Ah young love," I heard Elsa coo from somewhere and with a little bit of searching on my part, I found her peeking from their living room. "Quite a rollercoaster ride, isn't it?" An eyebrow of mine twitched. What was with these people?

"A rollercoaster ride? Yes," I huffed. "Young-" – shudder – "-love? I doubt it." The old couple gave me a look and it was all I could do to not roll my eyes at them. It was rude, you know. "Excuse me for a while… I just gotta do something." With that, I made my way up the remaining steps and locked myself inside the room, annoyed and frustrated.

Annoyingly frustrated and frustratingly annoyed.

A sigh escaped my lips as I slid down to floor, my head in my hands. It was annoying that I had to keep running away from this and it was frustrating that I _knew_ I was running. I needed to pull myself together somehow. I needed to stop getting all screwed up when he was around. I knew what I needed to do, but exactly _how_ to do it was a bit of tricky one.

"Demina Lovell?"

I froze. Someone was in the room? Steadily, I looked up and saw a woman I had never seen before in my life. Jet black hair with a pair of blond locks framing her face. Sharp gray eyes. Red lips curving downwards into a small frown. A crisp white shirt under a black, leather jacket, a pair of skin-tight jeans and ankle-high boots. If there was a person in the world that wasn't convinced with just how intimidating she was just by her looks, then the air handing around her sealed the deal.

The stranger's frown deepened. "Are you Demina Lovell?"

Geez, talk about impatient. "Y-Yeah… I'm Demina."

The lady raised an eyebrow. "The name's Ylana, Ranno's associate," she quietly began in a tone that meant business. "I'm here to pick you up."

I blinked. "But I thought-"

"There has been a change of plans. Ranno and another associate of ours have been compromised and our top priority now is to escape," she explained. "If there aren't any more questions, then please collect your things so we can leave immediately."

For some reason, my blood ran cold. "But I haven't even said goodbye to-"

"The Kurta?" she asked. "Then that is your loss. Now please, hurry before I resort to force."

Biting down on my lip, I slowly nodded and got up. "Just… Just give me a few minutes." I quickly grabbed my bag and began shoving my stuff back in, which wasn't really much. I was done in a little under five minutes and was about to zip my backpack close when I noticed the pile of photos on the bedside table between mine and Kurapika's beds. The top most photo was the one we were fighting over about last night and after making a split second decision, I took it and slipped it into the pocket of my bag that held my old embarrassing photo, and the photo the five of us took when we went and got Killua back.

"Is that everything?"

"I… I guess," I quietly said.

Ylana nodded. "Very well then," she hummed as she made her way to the window and easily slid it open. "You can jump from this height, right?"

"Of course."

"Then let's-"

"Wait."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Forgot something?"

I pulled my eyebrows together. I couldn't just leave. It was cruel. The timing of it all looked like I ran away and though technically I was, I wasn't at the same time. "Can I ask you for something?"

"It depends."

"We've been looking for a Hunters' Agency for a long time now and…" It was stupid to ask this woman for a favor, but I had a feeling that she at least knew something about it.

Ylana was quiet for a few moments before she sighed. "There's such an agency not a few miles from here," she answered as she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her jacket and tossed it over to me. "Write the address down. Your friend might not read it if it's not your handwriting." It took me a few moments before I realized she was gonna help me out and I fumbled a bit. "It's a town called Tanbur, in the country of Clarines. It's home to several groups of thieves and assassins… Your friend better be careful."

Tanbur… I've read that name somewhere. It was one of the towns I had circled on our map. "Got it. Thank you very much."

A huff came from the woman. "It's nothing," she grunted. "Now hurry up. We've got a flight to catch."

I nodded. "Just about done," I murmured, writing one last thing on the note before placing it on the bedside table. "I'm ready." I inwardly frowned. What a lie that was.

Ylana gave me a once over before humming to herself. "Let's go."

=oOo=

"I understand," Ylana replied, her phone near her ear. "Of course. I'll do what I can." With that, she ended the call and turned back to me. "That was Ranno."

The sound of the man's name immediately dampened my already bad mood. "What did he want?" After almost half a day of travelling with the woman, it seemed like Ylana didn't have any plans of eating me alive, so I did my best to be at least polite to her. Besides, I was mad at Ranno for putting up the stunt, not Ylana. Which had my thoughts flutter away for a split second to Kurapika, wondering how he was.

"He just called in to make sure you're alright," she easily answered as she slipped her phone back into her jacket.

"Tell him I appreciate the sentiment," I hissed, causing Ylana to give me an odd look.

"He also wanted me to train you, since he had the impression you would die first before he'd teach you," she continued and that caught my attention.

"Train me?"

Ylana nodded. "_Nen_ training, to be exact," she stated. "Our file on you states that you're already quite adept with using your abilities, but due to certain events, you've forgotten how to use even the simplest of techniques." A small frown appeared on the woman's pale face. "But from what I can tell, you've just put yourself in an unconscious state of _Zetsu_."

"_Nen?_" I echoed. That word keeps popping up somehow. First with Aster, then with this lady.

"I see you're a bit confused," she sighed. Really? A _bit_? "Would you like me to explain?" I gave her a look. Did she need to even ask? "Simply put, _Nen_ is the ability to control, manipulate and use aura, the life force of all living things. But before you actually get to use _Nen_, you have to learn _Ten_, _Zetsu_, _Ren_ and _Hatsu._" I frowned a bit. "Did I lose you yet?"

I shook my head. "No, not really."

Ylana smiled, the first I've seen her do so for the short period of time we've spent together. "Good. Basically, _Ten_ is the ability to _control_ your flow of aura. _Zetsu_ is the ability to _hide_ your aura. _Ren_ is the ability to _intensify_ your aura. And _Hatsu_ is the ability to actually _use_ your aura."

I nodded. "_Ten_ is control, _Zetsu_ is hide, _Ren_ is intensify and _Hatsu_ is use," I mumbled. "Got it."

An amused-sounding huff came from my companion. "No need stress over the basics though. You should be a natural once you get the hang of it," she hummed. "However, there are six divisions under _Hatsu_, depending on the type of aura you posses."

"There are types?" I asked, honestly curious.

Ylana nodded. "A person can either be an Enhancer, a Transmuter, a Conjurer, an Emitter, a Manipulator or a Specialist," she continued. "Enhancers, as the name suggests, enhance the properties of objects around them, or themselves. Transmuters-"

"Transmute?" I guessed. "Like… Transform something from one thing into another, right?"

A chuckle escaped the woman. I guess she was beginning to like me. "You've grasped to concept, but Transmuters cannot simply change anything into something. Transmuters change the properties of their aura to copy the properties of an aura. Is that clear enough?" I nodded. "Then next are Conjurers. They create objects using their aura."

"So I guess Emitters emit and Manipulators manipulate?"

Ylana grinned and nodded. "Yes. Emitters project their aura, and Manipulators use their aura to manipulate objects."

"Then what about Specialists?"

"Specialists… They're the vaguest of the types," she sighed. "Anything that doesn't fall under the first five categories fall under the Specialization class."

I made a face. "That's vague alright…" I grumbled. "So how do you find out what type you are?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you getting way too ahead of yourself?" she chuckled, shaking her head. "But to answer your question, there are a lot of ways to determine which type you fall under, but the most commonly use is Water Divination. Once you get the hang of _Ren_, I'm going to let you do that."

"I see…"

A sigh escaped Ylana as she leaned back on her seat and closed her eyes. "To be honest, Ranno's giving us two months to get you back to your former – and I quote – _Nen_-using self, but I believe you can accomplish it in half the time, given your background."

"You give me way too much credit," I grunted.

"I suppose so," she agreed. "Your grandfather was the one who spent a large amount of time into training you, after all…"

"My grandfather?" The woman nodded. "Are you sure you should be saying information like that?"

Ylana shrugged. "Unlike Ranno, I don't care about the rules," she admitted, crossing her arms. "Don't get me wrong though. I spent a lot of time and effort to get the information you want and I want my cut, but I don't care when it comes. As long I know you'll pay, I'm fine with telling you what I want."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She was pretty lax compared to Ranno. I was beginning to like this lady. "So if I ask-"

"No."

I winced. My hopes of getting info shot down, just like that. "So… do you use _Nen_?"

The woman took her time before answering. "Yes, but I cannot show you."

"Why?"

"First of all, I doubt you'll be able to see it, given that you are in _Zetsu,_" she replied. "Second, in this world, the less people know about your abilities, the better."

"And why again do I have to learn _Nen_?"

Ylana opened her eyes and looked up in thought before raising two fingers. "One, most of the people we cross with are already _Nen_ users and we cannot always keep an eye on you. Second, it's a requirement before you can become a Pro Hunter."

My eyebrows furrowed at that. "But I'm already a Hunter."

"On paper, but in terms of skill, you're not," she told me and the way she had bluntly put it kinda put me of. "It's a sort of secret test for the applicants who passed the Hunter Exam and I shouldn't really be telling you this, but like I had said earlier, I'm neither a fan of rules, nor protocol."

"You seem to know a lot about this stuff," I quietly murmured.

"I should," she confidently said as she slipped something out form her jacket. It was a thick card of plastic that looked a lot like the one I had in my bag, with the exception of the name. It read Ylana Lates. "I'm a Pro Hunter."


	27. Chapter 27

"_I'm a Pro Hunter."_

=oOo=

"This will be your place for the duration of your stay here," Ylana hummed as she unlocked the door in front of us and pushed it open. I couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "It's fully furnished. Electricity and water will be paid by the agency, but you'll have to provide for your own meals. Is that acceptable?" Speechless, I nodded and I heard Ylana chuckle. "Did you think you would be housed in a cell?"

A nervous laugh escaped my lips as I rubbed the back of my head. "Uh… Maybe."

Ylana smiled and guided me into the flat. "You are not a prisoner here, Mina," she said. "The means by which Ranno had used in order for you to agree may have been questionable, but you will be treated as an equal here. You are one of us now."

I couldn't help but feel unnerved by the last thing she said, but still, this place was beautiful. It wasn't anything fancy, but the view from the large window was awesome. The place was clean, homey and large enough for me. These people really knew how to spruce up a place.

"The main office and the library are on the second floor," the older woman continued. "There's already a laundry room somewhere here, so you won't have to go anywhere for soiled clothes. A gym is on the fifth floor and the training room is on the sixth." Ylana handed me the keys. It had a keychain with the number 306 hanging from it. "An internet café is on the first floor, along with a coffee shop. Here are your keys and if ever you lose them, you can ask Ranno for another set."

I'd rather not.

Ylana looked around before she sighed and nodded to herself. "That's about it since you won't be allowed to accept jobs until you've finished your training. You'll be meeting the whole team later when they arrive, so you can relax for now," she stated. "If ever you need anything, I'll be in the office. Are there any questions?"

I shook my head.

"Then that's it. We'll start training tomorrow, so you can take it easy for the meantime. I'll take my leave," she hummed as she made her way out. "See you later."

"Ah, wait!" Ylana stopped and turned around, her eyebrows raised. "Uh… thanks for the help."

The woman managed a warm smile and nodded. "You're welcome. I'll call when Ranno gets back." With that, Ylana left, closing the door behind her.

I took another look around, leaving my stuff on a couch, to check out the place. There were two bedrooms and both could accommodate two people with those king-sized beds. There was a kitchen that continued into a dining area. The bathroom led to the laundry room and the living room was pretty much the center of it all. Admittedly, the place was nice. I could really live here, but it was kinda lonely on my own.

"Lighten up, Mina," I quietly told myself. "At least you've got a big ass window." The view of the city, Colarina, was wonderful. It was a busy city with a lot of open space and a lot of foot traffic. You'd thing that businesses like these stayed in those shady towns, but Ranno's agency, apparently, wasn't like that.

According to Ylana, they considered themselves as private investigators. Her, Ranno and some other dude named Hibiki made up their team, but there were others stationed in different countries. This so-called main office was _the_ main office for their operations and Ranno was _the_ head. Ylana didn't elaborate on how they worked, but basically, they accepted requests and the team nearest to the problem would take care of it, unless the clients themselves requested who'd do the job.

Jobs weren't always done in teams either. Ylana had told me that anyone could do any job they wanted with anyone. We could do them alone, if we wanted, and Ranno would just speak up if he thought it was dangerous. She _also_ told me to give the man a chance but that would be conveniently forgotten some time soon.

Once I got a feel of the place, I headed for the room with a window and decided that was gonna be my room. I began unpacking, but that didn't take up a lot of time since I only had a backpack with me. What _did_ take up a lot of time was me staring at the photo a nabbed from Kurapika. A sigh escaped my lips as I put it back in my bag with the two other photos I kept.

I was an idiot.

I was an idiot who was going to have to buy two frames.

=oOo=

"So what am I _actually_ supposed to do here?"

"You just need to stand still," Ylana instructed. "I'm going to try and break the _Zetsu_ state you are in, so if you feel any pain or discomfort, tell me immediately and I'll try another approach."

"You can do it, Mina!"

I flinched. "Just ignore him," the older woman sighed. "He's just trying to earn some brownie points."

"What's he gonna do with brownie points?" I grumbled.

"Knowing Hibiki?" she asked. "He's probably got his eyes on you." I had to frown at that one. "Don't worry. As long as you stick with me, he won't do anything funny. Hibiki's a flirt, but he's not a pervert… At least I _hope_ he's not."

"For his sake, he better not-" My eyes grew wide as I felt something warm pierce through me. It didn't hurt or anything, but it was really just surprising that it brought me to my knees. It felt so familiar as the feeling continued to flow through my veins, every fiber of my being. It was kinda… scary.

"Mina, are you alright?" Ylana asked, worry evident in her voice. "I'm sorry. I just thought that by attacking you when you least expect it, I'd be able to break through with less effort."

It took me a while for me to pull myself together, and even then, it felt like I was still a bit out of it. It was like something was all over me that I couldn't really place. "I… I'm fine," I reassured her as I accepted the hand she offered to get up. "Is it really supposed to feel this way?"

Ylana raised an eyebrow. "Warm and fuzzy?" I nodded. "Yes. So I take it you can see it?"

My eyebrows pulled together. "See wh- Holy shit what's that?" I exclaimed, pointing at the thin layer of glowing white that was covering me, Ylana and even Hibiki who was standing not too far away from us.

"That's aura," Ylana patiently said, an amused look on her face. "That's your life force and if it runs out, you die."

I inwardly flinched. Talk about being blunt. "So how do I keep it from running out?"

The older woman smiled. "By doing what you're doing right now," she answered. "Like I've said before, you've done this kind of training before and your body should know what it should do. I'm just helping you get back into shape. Look." Ylana took my arm and pointed at it. "A stranger to _Nen_ would have their aura floating into the air due to their lack of control of it. But you, Mina, are familiar with the disciplines so your aura stays with you."

"So I just relax?"

"I believe there's focus somewhere in there, but yes. You simply just have to relax and feel," she hummed. "Right now, you've been reacquainted with _Ten_. Next is _Zetsu_. All you have to do is suppress your aura this time. Willing yourself in and out of _Zetsu_ may be difficult for you since you've been accustomed to staying in such a state for so long, but you'll be able to master it in no time. Go ahead. Give it a try."

Suppress, huh? Then suppress it is. Closing my eyes, I took several deep breaths and calmed myself down. I didn't really know how to do this properly, but this was my idea of suppressing.

"Alright," I heard Ylana say. "Open your eyes and see the difference." I did as I was told and noticed that the layer of white disappeared from my skin. "You've closed off all of your aura and are now keeping it within your body, instead of around it. Now why don't you try and go back to _Ten_, just to let me know how you'll fair."

I nodded and concentrated a bit until I felt the warm feeling come back. "Wonderful," she said. "Now let's begin with _Ren_."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Ylana," Hibiki hollered as he walked up to us. "Aren't you going a little too fast? I mean, she's just-"

Something spiked up from Ylana and I couldn't help but feel a bit worried. "Are you complaining, Hibiki?" the older woman asked, her tone a bit dark. Almost immediately, Hibiki paled and took a step back.

"O-Of course not!" he quickly replied. "I was just worried that maybe Mina here is already tired. This is just her first day and all and-"

"I feel fine," I said, shrugging.

"She's fine," Ylana reaffirmed. "She'll tell me if she's tired. Anymore concerns?"

Hibiki, a man with a mess of spiky, sandy blond hair and brown eyes, pouted. "Always so cold to me, Ylana," he mumbled. "Why oh why must you hurt me so?"

Said woman rolled her eyes. "Cut the drama, Hibiki. If you want to hang around and watch, you better keep quiet. Otherwise, I'd have to ask you to leave." Hibiki pouted even more, but when that didn't work with Ylana, he sighed and retreated. "Shall we continue?"

I nodded. "_Ren_, right?"

Ylana nodded this time. "Yes. _Ren_ is intensifying your aura, so this time, I'd like you to expend as much aura as you can without letting it leak out and I'd like you to hold it for as long as you can. Understood?"

"Yep." As far as following instruction would go, I was doing fine – even Ylana told me that – but the holding it for as long as I could part was a bit difficult.

By the time I was too tired to keep it up, I could barely even keep myself standing. "That's a little over fifteen minutes," she hummed mostly to herself. "Better than expected."

"Better than expected?!" Hibiki exclaimed. "It took me three weeks to get me to last that long!"

"You're an idiot, Hibiki. That's why," Ylana evenly said. "Besides, she's already had the training and-"

"It's only a matter of whipping her back into shape," the man grumbled. "But from the looks of it, she's _already_ in shape."

At that, Ylana narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "You have a point… But actual combat is a whole different thing." Everything fell quiet with Ylana for a few seconds before she spoke again. "We'll get to that eventually. Next, we'll tackle the more advanced disciplines."

=oOo=

"In a bit of a rush, Rookie?"

My heart nearly stopped beating and I dropped my keys. "What do you want, Hibiki?" I grunted as I crouched down to pick up my stuff. I stole a glance at the older, smug-looking man and noticed how his aura didn't show. He was using _Zetsu_.

The man winced. "Ouch, another maiden of ice," he huffed in a pained voice. "Your teacher has already rubbed off on you."

"My _teacher_ told me you were a flirt," I muttered as I shoved my keys into the lock and turned. "And I don't like those kinds of people."

"You'll like me," he confidently said and it was all I could do to keep myself from punching the asshole. "Besides, I just dropped by to make sure the newbie isn't overworking herself."

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine." I pushed my door open and took a step inside before flicking the lights open. "Now if you don't have anything more to say, I want to go to bed now."

"Do you want me to give you a long, relaxing-"

_Slam_!

"Good night, Hibiki," I called out from my side of the door as I locked it.

"Good night, sweetheart."

=oOo=

Brutal.

Absolutely brutal.

It's only been a little under two weeks of training but there's already been a huge jump between the difficulties. What started out as trying to keep up my _Ren_ as long as I could – which totally drained me – intensified to keeping up my _Ren_ _and_ sparring with Ylana right after. One time, I actually passed out in mid-battle. _Mid-battle_.

"And that's two hours and fifty-five minutes," Ylana said as she pressed the stop button on the stopwatch she had just as I collapsed. "Not bad… Eleven days and you can already last that long. I'll give you two minutes to catch your breath and then we'll have a match."

I numbly nodded, taking deep steady breaths as I wiped away the sweat from my face. This was insane. "The target is usually three hours, if that's what you're wondering," I heard Ylana hum. "My teacher had me go through the same training you're going through. She was a monster."

"Why?" I huffed.

"It's a form of adapting," she replied. "Right now, you're struggling, but you'll eventually get used to it and you'll be able to last longer in a _Nen_ battle." I couldn't help but frown at her logic. "Time's up. Let's get to it."

=oOo=

"We're not doing the usual?" I asked, not really understanding why Ylana said we wouldn't. It's already been three weeks since we started and four days ago, I managed to keep my _Ren_ up for three hours without tiring, but I still had trouble keeping up with Ylana's movements in battle. "Why?"

"It's about time we find out what aura type you fall under," she said, a small smile on her face. "Hibiki!"

I raised an eyebrow as the man came walking into the training room, a table and a glass of water in tow. "I can't believe you talked me into this."

"You lost the bet," Ylana hummed. "Now be a good servant and set it up for me."

"What bet?"

"While you were off to dreamland last night, Ylana and I played a game of poker," Hibiki grumbled as he placed a leaf on the glass of water. "The person who loses would be the other's servant for three days."

"What about Ranno?"

"What _about _Ranno?" he grumbled.

I tilted my head a bit. "Doesn't he play with you?" It was around my second week here that I found out that everyone on Ranno's team liked gambling. It was some sort of a past time for them, whether they wagered money, information or services.

"Nah, he's too busy with Bells," the man answered, waving a hand. "He usually does, but Bells is around, so he's not playing."

Blinking, I asked, "Who's Bells?"

"She's Ranno's daughter," Ylana answered. "I'm surprised, Hibiki. You usually have her latched onto you when she's here."

Hibiki smiled one of those smiles that usually had the ladies fainting. It was no joke. I've seen it in action before when we went to town once. "I can't help it if even the children love me," he smoothly said, wallowing in his self-praise again.

Ylana just shook her head and crossed her arms. "One of these days, someone's going to accuse you of pedophilia," she sighed. "Are you just about done with that?" Hibiki winced and nodded.

"All yours, You Highnesses."

My eyebrows shot up. "What's all this for?"

A small smile spread across the older woman's lips. "This is for Water Divination," she replied. "All you have to do is expose the glass of water to your aura and we'll find out what kind of aura you have depending on what happens." Ylana uncrossed her arms and placed her hands near the sides of the glass. "Here, let me show you." With that, aura came from her hands and covered the whole thing. She kept at it for a few seconds before she pulled away. "See?"

I frowned a bit. "But nothing happened."

"Taste it."

"What?"

"Go ahead. Taste it."

I turned to Hibiki. "Ylana's a Transmuter. If a person's a Transmuter and goes through Water Divination, the taste of the water would change." I found a bit of comfort in that so I dipped my finger into the water and placed it in my mouth.

"It's sweet… like chocolate…" I gasped, totally not expecting that.

"Your turn, Hibiki."

"Ei? Why me?"

"Just do it." Grumbling, the man shuffled over to the glass and did the same thing Ylana did. This time the color of the water changed to blue. "Emitters change the color of the water; therefore, Hibiki is an Emitter."

"You're _welcome_."

Ylana rolled her eyes. "Your turn, Mina."

"Alright," I said, nodding, and placed my hands near the glass of water and focused. My eyes grew wide when the leaf resting on top of the water suddenly split into pieces and sank to the bottom. "Uh… What does that mean?" I asked, turning to my seniors.

Distinct frowns were on their faces. "So much for your plans of finishing in one month, huh?" Hibiki nervously chuckled after a few seconds of silence and I heard Ylana sigh in response.

"Why? What is it? What does it mean?" Ylana suddenly looked more tired than she was when she turned to me.

"It means you're a Specialist, Mina."


	28. Chapter 28

_May seem a bit rushed. I apologize for that._

* * *

"_It means you're a Specialist, Mina."_

=oOo=

_"Specialists are the vaguest of all types. Anything that does not fall under the first five categories would fall under Specialization… Basically, you can choose whatever ability you want. I'll give you ten days to figure out what you want and I'll check on what you've accomplished afterwards."_

That was what Ylana said and I could understand why she was so bummed about it. It was gonna be like explaining the color red to a blind person for her since this was out of her comfort zone. According to her, Conjurers and Manipulators were the only ones that had the _remote_ possibility of using Specialist abilities.

Emphasis on the word _remote_.

But to be honest, I already had a vague idea of what I wanted. A sigh escaped my lips as I lifted both my hands and allowed my aura to leave through my fingers. Glowing blue strands came out and they were completely identical to the ones I used on Bendot – wince – and Aster's two 'coworkers'. Well, at least some things were making sense.

Somehow.

Now all I needed to figure out was _how_ I was gonna use these. Without completely obliterating people, of course.

Closing my eyes, I began to think. What to do, what to do?

=oOo=

Ten days passed by quickly and I was smiling as I made my way up to the top floor, running up the stairs. The elevator just wasn't my thing and the jog was something I needed. "Good morning!" I chirped as I came bursting into the training room. As expected, Hibiki and Ylana were already there, the former in the process of trying to woo the latter.

"Good morning, Mina," Ylana hummed, turning away from the man and completely forgetting about him in an instant. "You seem to be in high spirits today." I noticed Ylana raised her eyebrows at me, but she just shook her head. "You must have been very busy."

"I guess," I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head.

"So are you ready to show me what you've got?" I nodded. "Then attack me whenever you're ready," she evenly said as she shrugged off her jacket and threw it away to the side.

My eyes grew wide when I noticed the aura around her and I could tell she was being serious. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and nodded. "Alright," I quietly said as I got into a stance. Honestly, I've just tried this on a few stray cats and that was about as close as I could get to a practice. Besides, it felt weird having to connect with kitties.

I took a deep breath and lunged. As expected, I was still too slow for Ylana, but I managed to graze her arm. I steadied myself a few feet away from her, a grin on my face. That was one. As long as I could land a hit, then it would be fine. Ylana considered me for a moment before she sharply shook her head and charged. I prepared to meet her head on, but something caught my eye and I ended up jumping away instead.

"Wise decision," she hummed, righting herself and revealing the swarm of butterflies fluttering about her. "I had not planned on showing you my ability any time soon, but seeing as you're confident with your skills, I decided to test your mettle in a real _Nen_ battle."

Mettle. Couldn't believe people still used that word.

A small smirk appeared on the older woman's lips. "Stay sharp, Mina. These are not ordinary butterflies," she said, almost chuckling as she ran after me again. "My ability is called _Lady of the Valley_ and this is _Save the Queen_." My eyes narrowed as I watched her use those glowing butterflies. With every move of her hand, they flew in a certain way, always in sync, like…

"A whip?" I suddenly blurted out and I heard Ylana chuckle, meaning I was right.

"Good eyes," she hummed, "but let's see you keep up." A squeak escaped my lips just as the swarm flew after me and thankfully, I somehow dodged it, escaping with just a torn sleeve. "You can't keep running, Mina." I knew I couldn't, but with that mass of butterflies she had, I had to think of another way to reach her. A frustrated grunt escaped my lips. This was the downside of it. "Giving up?"

"Yeah, right," I muttered as I got myself back into a stance. A heart beat later, I made a run for it, praying that I'd get to her before she could attack. Unfortunately, I still didn't reach her in time but instead of dodging that swarm of insects she had, I blocked it with a finely woven net of my own strings. Thankfully, Ylana was surprised enough to let me land another few blows – three, to be exact, but not all that powerful – before she jumped away.

Ylana raised an eyebrow. "My butterflies couldn't pass… These strings are made of _Nen_ aren't they?" she hummed and I nodded. "And you even managed to hit me a few times in that short amount of time… You're getting faster."

"You're faster, Ylana," I grunted and the woman shrugged. That was four. I needed two more. Frowning, I sent several strings after her. A few caught onto her leg and I managed to pull her towards me and managed a blow to her stomach, but her butterflies came back and I had to let go, but this time, I didn't get away unscathed. Those butterflies were _sharp_ and I ended up with several slashes across my right arm.

I immediately created strings to cover the wounds up and after glowing a faint green for a few seconds, they disappeared, along with my wounds. "Healing, I see," Ylana commented. "Very useful… Now what else is up your sleeve?"

"I've got a few more," I hummed, looking around a bit, but I didn't let Ylana out of my sight. So far, with all the string throwing I've been doing, I've got a fair amount of them scattered and from what I could tell, Ylana hadn't noticed, _yet_. "If you could just slow down a bit, that'd do me a world of good."

"No can do, Mina," she huffed, taking a step towards me, and it was there I saw my chance. A small huff escaped my lips as I tugged on all the wires so far and Ylana widened her eyes when she found herself trapped.

"For your sake, don't move," I called out as I weaved myself through the maze of wires I created. "These things are pretty sharp." To prove my point, I touched one of them and let my finger bleed. "See?"

Amused, Ylana raised her eyebrows. "And so they are," she mused. "So what now?"

I lifted my fist and knocked her head, making that the sixth time I landed a hit. "This," I chirped. "_Six Degrees of Separation: Wirepull._" I waved my left hand and all the wires I had set up disappeared, with the exception of six wires that I held with my right hand. "It's a bit of a drag having to chase people around, but the control I get is awesome."

"I… I can't move," Ylana gasped when she realized she was still in the same position she was while she was trapped by my wires. "How…?"

I managed a nervous smile. "That's a secret," I sang, moving my right hand in a certain way and in turn, Ylana moved as well. "But with this ability, I can control people up to the point where they themselves don't realize that they're following my will, and not their own."

Ylana's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Rubbing the back of my head, I continued, "Well, I can let you moves your limbs again, and you can think that you're attacking me out of your own free will, when the reality of it is that you're still just following my orders."

"Creepy as hell," I heard Hibiki call out, speaking for the first time since this whole spar started.

"Ignore him," Ylana huffed. "I think it's interesting. Now if you don't mind…" A few moments passed before I realized what she was trying to say and I immediately let go of my control over her. Ylana righted herself and stretched some before walking over to her jacket and picking it up. "I'll tell Ranno you're good to go, so expect a job in a day or two."

With that, she left the training room and it took a while before what she said sank it. "Congrats, Mina!" Hibiki cheered, hooking an arm around my neck. "You're officially a rookie! To celebrate, why don't we go on a-"

"No."

=oOo=

_Ring._

_Ring. Ring._

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

A frustrated growl escaped my lips as I lifted an arm and blindly felt around for my phone. I was pretty sure I left it somewhere on my bed. Otherwise, the ringing shouldn't be as loud – and as annoying – as it was. It took me a few seconds before I found the noisy abomination and I couldn't help but frown when I saw the caller ID.

It was Ranno.

Sighing, I dragged the pulsing green icon across the screen and placed the speaker to my ear. "Goddamit Ranno," I grumbled. "You better have a good reason for waking me up in three in the morning."

"_A client wants you and Hibiki for a job."_

"But I just got back _two hours ago_!"

"_I already said yes, so get yourself down here."_

"But-!"

"_Hibiki's picking you up."_

"But -!"

_Beep._

Annoyed, I threw my phone, only to have my string catch it before it shattered into pieces. Ylana had given that to me as some sort of congratulations gift when Ranno gave me the go signal to work with them. Like hell I was gonna destroy it just like that.

It's been a little over four months since I first came here and a lot has changed, I guess. Sure, Ranno was still a cold-hearted ass, Hibiki was still a flirt who never stopped being inappropriate and Ylana was just as passive as she was when I first met her, but they had all somehow became bearable. I guess they kinda grew on me.

Picking up a few pieces of clothing, I made my way to my bathroom to wash away last night's dirt. Ylana and I had just come back from Rubor a few hours ago. The mayor had wanted us to take care of the lowlifes that were harassing his people, so we did. It was nothing too difficult, but I still hated long travels. As it turned out, this agency was more of an 'anything-goes' kind of place. The people here did whatever job they were offered if the price was right.

On my way, I caught sight of a framed picture that was resting on a shelf nearby and I couldn't help but sigh. In the end, I only had the guts to put up the picture of the five of us and I just kept the other picture with me when I was away on a job. It's been a long time since I last saw them. I missed them so much, but I knew I was gonna see them soon enough. It was already the third week of July. I let myself stare at the photo for a while before I shook the thoughts away from my mind.

I had a job to do.

As soon as that bath was out of the way, I decided to just wait for Hibiki, but the moment I walked out of my bathroom, I saw the man already sitting on my sofa. "You could've at least knocked," I grumbled as I grabbed a brush and began undoing the knots in my hair.

"And miss seeing you in a towel?"

I threw my brush at him in response.

=oOo=

"This is the place," I quietly said as I double checked the address of the building just around the corner. From the files Ranno had given us a few days ago, the building was technically abandoned, but the truth was that it became home to squatters and drug dealers. But they weren't really what we were here for. We were more concerned about the kid some asshole took from his parents.

"Are you sure?" Hibiki asked, earning him a glare from me.

"Seriously?" I scoffed. "That place just screams 'bad guy hideout.'"

Hibiki shrugged. "Just making sure," he hummed as he folded the newspaper he picked up from some stand on the way here. "So how do you want to do this?"

I paused for a moment to think about it. "Quick and quiet," I answered, frowning. "People in there are trouble and we don't want to draw too much attention. We might get the kid hurt…" While I was deep in thought and planning, I could feel the man's eyes on me rather than keeping watch on that shady building. "Hibiki, your job?"

The man chuckled and from the corner of my eye, I could see him shake his head. "Can't help it if I get easily distracted by beautiful ladies like yourself. Such a shame that you took after your teacher so much."

"I'm lucky she got to me first," I murmured just as the car outside the building we were watching drove off. "Hibiki…"

"I see them, I see them," he sighed. "Back to work, huh?"

"For you," I grunted. "I've been working all along." I motioned towards the small towel resting on the table separating between the two of us. "_Wiretap's_ been working for the past fifteen minutes."

Hibiki raised his eyebrows. "Ready as always, huh? So what floor?"

"Of course. The boy's on the fourth floor." _Wiretap_, one of my most useful abilities. Using the aura everyone possessed, I could create a connection between me and my target, as long as there was enough for me to work on. In this case, the kid's towel was more than enough to lead me to him. Hibiki compared it to a bloodhound once, and that earned him a whack to the head.

We waited a few minutes before we moved and we quietly made our way over to the building. The kid we were trying to save was the son of some bigshot in Yorkshin. The boy was kidnapped and instead of paying the three billion jenny ransom, the man decided to pay twenty _million_ to go and get the boy for him. Cheap, sure, but as long as I got my debt paid, I couldn't have cared less. I inwardly frowned at that. I was starting to think more and more like Ylana and the others.

It didn't take us too much time to find the boy, but just as we had expected, there were a few thugs guarding the poor kid. "Go and get the kid out of here!" I heard Hibiki ordered as I kept the boy safe right behind me from some dude wielding a knife.

"Like hell I would," I barked right back, using a string of _Nen_ to act like a whip to keep the brute at bay. "Ranno's gonna kill me if he found out I broke protocol." The kid behind me screamed in terror as he pointed out a man with a gun and I knew I had no choice. I'd be dead before I could reach him. I quickly grabbed the kid and covered his eyes before I whispered, "_Six Degrees of Separation: Lifeline_." Immediately, several strings shot out form my hand and the poor gunman was soon wrapped in them. A split second later, the man cried out in pain before being reduced to nothing blood and mangled flesh.

"Mina!"

"I'm fine," I called out, kicking away another thug. "How about you?"

"Just about finished with this guy," he chuckled and from the corner of my eye, I saw him throw someone out the window, screaming. I inwardly sighed. _That_ should keep things inconspicuous. I looked around and saw that there was one last guy left and he was trying to make a run for it. Of course, Hibiki wouldn't have that so I closed both my eyes and the child's when I saw a ball of light appear in the man's hand.

As soon as a small explosion went off, I uncovered our eyes and looked around. The poor guy was knocked out. "I'd say you over did it, but I ended up killing someone so…" I murmured, shaking my head.

Hibiki, on the other hand, just laughed and pulled me to him by the waist. "No evil can stand in the way of our love!" he said in a heroic voice that gods knew where it came from.

I had to raise an eyebrow at that. "So if there's no love, we'd lose?"

The man nodded and flashed me one of those grins the other girls would die for. "Yep, so why don't you tell me you love me?"

Geez. Where'd he get that line? "I'd rather we lose next time," I grumbled before turning back to the kid. He was pretty shaken up. "Are you alright?" It took a while before the boy finally found my eyes and he nodded. "Come with us. We're friends of your father and we're gonna take you back to him."

=oOo=

"Good work, Mina, Hibiki," Ranno hummed as soon as we got the kid back to his parents. The rich dad was very grateful that we got the boy back for him and paid us right before he left. "As promised, you'll each get fifty percent." That was ten million jenny for the both of us, but I knew I still had to subtract the amount that was gonna be used for my debt. "Mina…"

"I know, I know," I grunted. "You're gonna take sixty percent from my cut as payment."

The older man nodded. "I'm glad we have an understanding," he stated evenly. "That would be all."

Hibiki immediately walked out of the room, probably to get some decent sleep, and as much as I wanted to do the same, I had something to take care of first. "Actually, Ranno…"

Said man raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Seeing as it's already the end of July and that we have protocol for these kinds of things, I wanted to-"

"Spit it out, Mina."

I blinked. Well that was blunt. "I want to file a leave for August Twenty-Eight to September Ten, if that's alright."

Now both Ranno's eyebrows went up as he grabbed the calendar resting on his desk – yes, we had desks around here – and checked the dates. "That's an awful long time to be away… Your reason?"

"Some friends and I are meeting up," I honestly answered. "It's been a while since we last saw each other and-"

"Request approved."

I blinked again. "Ei? Just like that?"

Ranno nodded. "Seeing as you've been doing a good job, I don't see any reason why I have to be particular with you. After all, you're one of us," he explained. "Besides, I've realized that with this last job, you've done three requests without proper rest, correct?"

"That's… That's about right…"

"So think of it as your reward," he said with finality. "You can leave now. I'll just have Hibiki give me the written report when he comes back down here."

"Oh, alright," I chirped. "Thanks, Ranno."

"Don't get used to it," he chuckled, the first time I've heard him when it was just the two of us, and I couldn't help but shake my head. He still was an asshole.

This first thing I did when I got back to my apartment was to take a nice, long shower. I ended up staring at my reflection in the mirror when I noticed how thin I had gotten. It must've been because of the all nighters I've been pulling and the meals I've been missing. Ylana talked to me about it a few weeks ago, but I just shrugged it off. I was still healthy, but I looked sickly over all.

With that out of the way, I headed back to my room and though it was already ten in the morning, I was still sleepy as hell. But before I could get some well-deserved shut eye, I pulled out a notebook from my bedside drawer and grabbed a pen. I wrote down the date when we saved the kid and wrote the number one below it. I glanced at the previous entries and couldn't help but feel cold all of the sudden.A sigh escaped my lips as I slipped the stuff back into the drawer and lied myself down on my bed, covering my eyes with the back of my arm.

"May all of your souls rest in peace."


	29. Chapter 29

_This may be the last, or second to the last of my string of fast updates, since I've apparently gotten better from my chickenpox and need to go back to schoolwork, and labwork._

* * *

"_May all of your souls rest in peace."_

=oOo=

The month of August passed by in quickly –_too_ quickly in my opinion – and before I realized it, it was already the Twenty-Seventh. I was leaving tomorrow and I _still_ hadn't packed my bag. "Mina, my love, are you really going to leave me with that ice witch?" Hibiki wailed as he threw himself onto my bed, disturbing the few clothes that were on it.

"No need to worry, Hibiki," I hummed as I thought of which bag to bring. My old backpack, or the new duffel bag I always used when I was on the job. "As long as you be good, I'm pretty sure Ylana won't kill you." Nodding to myself, I pulled out my duffel bag. "Move over. You're crushing some of my stuff."

The man turned away in an overly dramatic fashion. "Ah! My heart breaks to see you be so nonchalant with leaving."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you even understand half the words you're using?"

"You wound me, Mina," he huffed. "You really wound me."

"Yay," I half-cheered, half-mumbled as I started folding clothes and stuffing them into my bag. "Tell me again why you're here and not in your own apartment?"

Hibiki rolled over, grabbed one of my pillows and squeezed it with his arms. "It gets _so_ lonely back there," he whined. "And it's gonna be a _long_ time before I see you again, my dear."

"Two weeks. It's just gonna be two weeks," I grunted. "So get over it. Besides, don't you have some other girl to mess with while I'm away?"

"Is that jealousy I hear?"

"No," I evenly said. "It's me slowly losing my patience." A thought then crossed my mind and I quickly left my room to fetch the picture I had displayed in the main area. I removed it from it frame and made my way back inside to pack it.

"I've never seen this before…" I heard the man hum and I tore my eyes away from the piece of glossy paper in my hands to check what he was mumbling about. "Is this your boyfriend?" I froze when he held up the photo. "This is that Kurta kid, right?"

"Where did you get that?!" I hissed, immediately snatching the photo away from him while my face began to heat up.

"It was lying around here," Hibiki replied, an eyebrow of his raised. "Well aren't you the flustered little girl?"

"Oh shut up," I muttered as I slipped the two photos back into my bag. "And no, he's not my boyfriend and yes, he's the Kurta kid. And for the record, he has a name."

"Right, right," he hummed, rubbing his chin all the while. "Kurapika, right?" I flinched and I was pretty sure the man noticed that little quirk of mine. "He was with you in Dolor when Ranno recruited you, right?"

A huff escaped my lips as I shoved a pair of sneakers into the bag. "Yes. Thank you very much for reminding me."

Hibiki righted himself on my bed, now sitting cross-legged instead of lying down. "You're not still mad about that, are you? I heard from Ylana you had to leave without saying goodbye."

I heaved a sigh. "No, I'm not mad…" I wasn't, really. I was still a bit annoyed that Ranno had to resort to blackmail to get me to pay him, but I wasn't mad. Of course, a certain Kurta _might _be. I began to pinch the bridge of my nose. What was I gonna say to him? "Gah. I hate this. I'm at a complete loss."

"I'm jealous, Mina," Hibiki whined. "I never see you get frustrated over _me_."

I shot the man a look. "Didn't I tell you to shut up a while ago?"

"Ah, so cold," he chuckled. "You really are Ylana's student." With a huff, the man got up and thankfully, he had the decency to make the bed. "Well, I'm grabbing something to eat. Wanna come?"

Shaking my head, I waved a hand. "Nah, I've got food in the fridge and I still have to finish this."

The man shrugged. "Your loss. Love ya, Mina."

"Oh kill me."

=oOo=

"Thanks for driving me all the way to the airport, Ylana," I hummed as I shut the door after me. Ylana shoved the keys into the ignition and after a few twists, the engine roared to life.

"Not a problem," the woman quietly said as she began backing up. "To be honest, Hibiki wanted to see you off, but Ranno made sure he was not going to sneak out."

A chuckle escaped my lips. "That's him alright."

After that, everything fell into a comfortable silence. The drive to the airport, I knew, wasn't gonna take long. At most, we'd be there in twenty minutes. I planned on quietly watching the buildings pass by for the whole trip, but apparently, Ylana had something more to say.

"You'll be seeing your friends again, correct?" I raised an eyebrow at my _Nen_ teacher before nodding. "I see… Will the Kurta be there?" Again, I took my time before nodding. There was something about her expression that I couldn't place. It wasn't unusual for her to be unreadable, but there really was just something off about her. "What will you tell him?" I opened my mouth to answer, but I soon realized I didn't have anything to say, so I shut it. "You don't know yet?"

I shook my head. "I plan on apologizing," I quietly began. "But I don't know how." Huffing, I slumped back into my seat. "I bet he hates me."

"He's your friend, Mina. I'm sure if you explain properly, he'll understand," Ylana said in an effort to reassure me, but that only had me feeling bluer. "But I suppose there's more to it, making it more difficult…"

"Yep," I bitterly chirped. "I'm surprised you don't know anything about it."

Ylana heaved a sigh. "Contrary to what you believe, finding you in Dolor had been completely by chance," she admitted. "We were planning on recruiting you once you had learned _Nen_, one way or the other, but Ranno didn't want to go through the trouble of hunting you down afterwards." I blinked.

"Ei?"

The woman nodded. "One of my abilities is to determine whether or not a target was nearby," she explained. "Back then, one of my butterflies were heading towards Dolor while another was heading towards our target during that time. Ranno had gone to investigate and well… They say the rest is history." She paused for a second before continuing. "You could also see it as being in the wrong place at the wrong time," she hummed. "Had you not been in Dolor during that time, it's safe to say that the two of you would still be travelling together."

I fought the urge to slam my head into the window. "And you expect me to believe this?"

"No," she easily answered, "but that is the truth. Now that I think about it, you already had set your sights on Tanbur during that time, correct?" I nodded. "You would have found the Hunters' Agency even without my help."

Now this was just getting annoying. "And you're telling me all of this because?"

"I was hoping to get you to stop wallowing in your guilt," she pointed out. "And to let you know that I apologize adding to the strain your friendship was already in." I stole a glance at the woman behind the wheel and noticed the small, almost invisible frown on her face. "You were a mess when I came to get you and I had surmised that something had gone wrong for you to have been in such a state. Again, I apologize for… abducting you. I was simply following orders."

At her words, I couldn't help but frown. "That's… That's water under the bridge," I muttered. "But that still doesn't help my problem."

"Like I had said. Just apologize. If he truly cares for you, then he would find it in his heart to forgive you," she hummed. "It might take some time, but he will." By that time, we had already arrived at the airport and she parked the car. The two of us got out and she helped me with my one and only bag. "Here."

Hiking up my bag, I curiously glanced at the piece of folded paper she was holding out to me. I slowly took it from her and saw three sets of numbers. "What's this?"

"Your friends' phone numbers," she replied, her eyebrows furrowing a bit. "Though that boy from Whale Island doesn't have a phone, it's safe to assume that the Zoldyck is with him."

"I see… Thanks."

"The first one is Kurapika's." I blinked and stared at the older woman who had a small grin on her face. "The second is Leorio Paladiknight's." I raised an eyebrow at that. _That_ was his last name? "And the last is Killua Zoldyck's. Feel free to use them. I won't charge you for finding them."

I turned back to the piece of paper in my hands and read it over again before nodding to myself. "I appreciate it."

Ylana smiled a bit wider. "It's nothing. I know you'll be using _Wiretap_ to find them, but I'd rather you not use your abilities so openly."

Again, I nodded. "Alright… I'll keep that in mind."

The lady reached up and patted my head. "Stay safe, Rookie." I couldn't help but chuckle at that. She rarely called me that.

"Will do."

=oOo=

The flight from Colarina to Yorkshin took a full three days – was literally a pain in the ass – and it was already the morning of August Thirty-First when I landed. The sky was unusually gray and it was doing a good job in dampening my spirits. I shook my head in an effort to keep the negativity at bay, but I couldn't deny that I was feeling a tad bit nervous. Well, I _was_ at a place I knew absolutely nothing about except that the Phantom Troupe was gonna be here and a certain someone that I wasn't ready to face yet.

A sigh escaped my lips. This trip was going to be the death of me, if ever. I quickly grabbed my bag and made my way down onto the tarmac and I couldn't help but shiver. It was a lot colder than I thought and I guess I should've worn something other than my usual sleeveless, orange sweater and denim shorts. Well, I guess I should've known better. It was already September and autumn should be kicking in soon somewhere in the world.

I stole a glance at my surrounding and noticed that only one other airship was unloading passengers. A few fancy white cars were parked near it and I guess it was one of those VIPs that flew in for the auction. Speaking of cars, I needed still needed to hail a cab, but another look around and I realized this airport was in the middle of a goddamn desert.

Now who in the right mind would put an airport in a desert?

I took a deep breath and exited the airport and tried to wait for a cab, but there were just miles and miles of desert all around. No cab driver in the right mind would go out here in such a remote place, even if there_ were_ customers willing to pay. Sighing, I pulled out my phone and the piece of paper Ylana had given me. Hopefully, one of them was already in Yorkshin.

I made to dial the first number, but I immediately ended up clearing the screen and put in Leorio's number instead. I wasn't gonna call Kurapika just to pick me up. If we were on good terms, sure, but I knew we weren't so I was gonna bother Leorio instead. Setting my bag down on a bench, I waited for the older teen to pick up.

"_Hello, who's this?"_

Amazingly, that idiot's voice was enough to send me smiling. "This is the Grim Reaper," I said in the creepiest voice I could manage. "Are you ready to meet your maker?"

"_W-What?!"_ the man exclaimed, obviously spooked out. _"Who is this?!"_

"It's me, you idiot," I laughed, shaking my head as I sat down on the bench, my bag right beside me.

"_M-Mina? Is that you?"_

"The one and only," I chirped, still grinning. "Hey, can I ask you a favor?"

"_After scaring the daylights out of me? Hell no."_

"Come on, Leorio," I whined. "We're buddies. Do your buddy a favor, come on."

After a bit of grumbling and cursing on the other side, the man caved in. _"Alright. What do you want?"_

"You're at Yorkshin, right?" Leorio grunted, his own special way of saying yes. "Then can you pick me up at…" I turned a bit to check the name of the place. "… Ringon Airport? Did I say that right?"

"_When?"_

"Right now."

The line went silent for a few seconds before Leorio burst out yelling and I had to move my phone away from my ear if I wanted to hear again. _"Right now?! Do you know how far you are?"_

"I'm estimating a few dozen kilometers…"

"… _You really have no way getting here, don't you?"_

"Would I ask for your help if I did?"

"…_I'm on my way."_

=oOo=

I was already dozing off when a black car pulled over right in front of me and I stifled a yawn. "Long time no see, Leorio," I hummed as I got up and stretched a bit to ease out my stiff muscles, a smile on my face. "I see you haven't changed much." The man muttered something I didn't quite catch and he picked my bag up for me. "Thanks."

"No prob," he chirped as he threw my stuff into the trunk before he slid into the driver's seat. "You're all alone?" he asked, his eyebrows raised at me as I got myself settled in the passenger seat.

I nodded as I fumbled with my seatbelt. "Do I _look_ like someone's with me?"

Leorio huffed. "No need to be so grouchy," he said, backing the car up and heading for the city. "But didn't you and Kurapika leave together?"

The question had caught me off guard and I flinched. "Yeah, we did, but we ended up splitting up… So how've you been?" I asked, hoping to change the subject as subtly as possible. Thankfully, this was Leorio and _not_ Killua. Leorio had a lot less tact when it came to these kinds of things. "You've been studying, right?"

The man grinned and nodded. "Of course!" And then he slumped right back into his seat, suddenly all depressed. "The entrance exams are near…"

My eyebrows shot up at that. "You shouldn't be too worried," I hummed. "As long as you study hard." The older teen chuckled nervously and I couldn't help but gape. "You _have_ been studying, right?" He nodded. "_Properly_, right?" I added. Leorio just laughed again and I couldn't help but groan. "Leorio…"

"Oi, oi. I've been studying!" he argued. "I just keep getting distracted is all… What about you? You look like you've gone through a war…"

Huffing, I crossed my arms behind my head and leaned back. "You could say that…" From the corner of my eye, I could see the doctor-to-be give me a look. "Oi. Keep your eyes on the road. I don't wanna die yet." And as if on cue, some animal strayed onto the road and Leorio narrowly avoided it. Though Leorio looked like he was about to have a heart attack right on the spot, I managed to keep my cool. "I've been working to pay off a debt," I quietly said.

"A debt?"

I nodded, humming. "A bunch of people told me they could help me find Aster and my mom, as long I pay them."

"How much money are we talking about here?"

My eyebrows pulled together as I did the math. "A few million jennies," I answered. "Half a billion, to be exact, but I've already paid off a little over a quarter of it."

"Half billion?!" he echoed, stepping on the gas all of a sudden in surprise. "And you've already paid a _quarter_ of it? In how long?"

"Three, four months, I guess."

"What kind of job do you have?"

Shrugging, I propped an elbow on the window and let my head rest on my hand. "Basically, I stalk people for others, gather information… Sometimes I get back stolen things and take care of bad guys too… I do a lot of things, actually."

"Sounds shady to me…" he grumbled.

A sigh escaped my lips. "I know, but they're good people, sorta…" Leorio just nodded and focused on his driving. I was watching him drive when something suddenly popped into my mind. "How come you never told us your last name was Paladiknight?"

The man eyes grew wide. "Who told you about that?!"

I raised an eyebrow, amused by his current state of embarrassment. "Information is what I deal with… Well?"

Leorio grumbled to himself and began to scratch the side of his face. "It's not a big deal."

"Well, it isn't, but it's an interesting fact."


	30. Chapter 30

_Making the most out of the weekend before I go back to school..._

* * *

"_Well, it isn't, but it's an interesting fact."_

=oOo=

"Are you sure this is where you want me to drop you off?" Leorio asked as he popped open the trunk for me to get my stuff. "Don't you wanna stay at the same hotel?"

"I want to, but I've got reservations at this place," I chimed, pointing a thumb over at the building behind me. "Besides, your place isn't too far, so if there's any trouble, you know where to hide." Leorio grumbled and tossed my bag towards me with much more force than needed as a response, but I still easily caught it. "Thanks."

Mumbling, the older teen made his way back to the driver's seat. "How about lunch then? I'll pick you up later."

Smiling, I waved a hand to decline. "Sorry, I plan on getting some rest today."

"Ah, right. You still hate staying in one spot, huh?"

I tilted my head from side to side. "More or less," I chirped. "Anyway, you've got my number, so call me if anything comes up, alright?"

Leorio nodded. "I'll see ya soon."

"Yep," I replied with a smile still on my face and I waved goodbye until he rounded the corner and disappeared from my sight. Sighing, I finally began to feel the weight of three days' worth of flying and an hours' worth of riding in a car. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and entered the hotel. "Hello, good morning," I politely said to the woman behind the reception desk.

"Good morning Ma'am. How may I help you?"

"I've got a reservation and…"

"Name please?"

"Demina Lovell."

The woman pressed a few keys and after a few seconds, she turned back to me, a warm smile on her face. "Ah, yes. Room 506." She plucked a set of keys from one of the wooden pegs poking out of the wall behind her and placed it on the counter in front of me. "Here are the keys to your room, Miss Lovell. Shall I ask someone to help you with your things?"

I shook my head. "Thanks, but no thanks."

The woman nodded. "I understand," she chirped. "Have a nice day." I murmured a thanks, took the keys and made my way towards the fancy staircase they had. "Miss, there's an elevator over to the right," she told me, but I simply waved it off. I wasn't getting on any elevator.

After four floors worth of steps, I finally reached the fifth floor and got around looking for my room. "506, 506, 506…" I murmured as I glanced at the numbers engraved on the metal plates bolted onto the wooden door. "501, 503, 505, 507, 509…" I blinked and backed up. There weren't any 506s on the left wall, so I turned to my right. "Oh, there you are," I chirped as I shoved my keys into the lock and turned. When I pushed open the door, I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows.

This place was nice.

Huffing, I dropped my stuff onto the couch in the main area and took a look around. There wasn't any door separating the main area from the bedroom, but seeing as I was the only one who was gonna be staying here, I didn't mind. There was a bathroom connected to the bedroom and a mini fridge in the main area. A coffee table with complementary magazines and a water heater with a few sachets of instant coffee were also in the main area.

I wasn't lying to Leorio when I said I was planning on resting the whole day. I couldn't get any decent sleep on that bloody airship and I really wanted to make up for it today. A small smile graced my lips at the idea of peaceful sleep in a comfy bed. I made my way back to my stuff, unzipped it and pulled out a fresh set of clothes. In the process, a photo fell out of my bag and I quickly picked it up. It was the picture with all five of us in it and after a few seconds of mental debating, I sighed.

"_Six Degrees of Separation: Wiretap_."

Immediately, the photo was enveloped in a thin layer of aura and five, bright wires extended from it. One was directly connected to me, while another was stretching towards the general direction Leorio had headed off to. Two were right next to each other and I had a pretty good feeling those belonged to Gon and Killua. And then there was the last string. Most probably, it was Kurapika's. It was just as bright as the rest, meaning he was at least within the city limits.

It was a perfect case of being so close, yet so far.

Shaking my head, I dispelled _Wiretap_ and headed for the bathroom. First things first. Bath, then sleep, then contact the rest of my buddies.

=oOo=

Yawning, I pushed away the covers and sat up on my bed. A quick glance at the digital clock beside my bed told me it was already a little past four in the morning but with all the city lights outside, it wouldn't have been hard to believe that the sun had just set. I stifled a yawn as I began stretching my arms. That was good sleep, but now I was hungry. I glanced around for my phone and raised an eyebrow when I noticed a blue light was blinking. I quickly grabbed hold of it, entered my code and after wincing at how bright the screen was, I checked read the message I got. It was from Ylana, asking if I had arrived safely. I got it a several hours ago and though I knew it was a little too late to reply, but I sent a text anyway, telling her I was fine.

With that out of the way, I got myself onto my feet and looked for anything to eat. I took a peek at the mini fridge, but there was nothing but drinks in it. Huffing, I shut it close and I plopped myself down on the couch. I planned on ignoring my hunger, but my stomach growled wildly and it did a good job in reminding me I hadn't eaten in almost eighteen hours.

Well, it was too early to go bothering Leorio so I was going to have to get food on my own. Maybe do a bit of jogging too. I made my way over to my stuff that were still on the couch and pulled out my jacket and sneakers. I shrugged on the white hoodie and laced up my shoes before leaving. Like hell was I gonna go running around town with nothing but a long yellow sleeveless shirt and a pair of black cycling shorts on, but I didn't bother tying my hair this time around.

"Going out, Ma'am?" the receptionist said as soon as I reached the ground floor.

"Ah, yeah…" I hummed, managing a smile at the lady.

"Take care, Ma'am and have a good day."

"Uh, you too."

Outside, it didn't feel like it was the middle of the night. People were still outside, walking, having fun like it was the middle of the day. I found it odd that they were so calm even though Mafia people were walking about, but I guessed that since this was a yearly thing, the residents were already used to it. It didn't take me long – It was maybe three or four blocks away from my hotel – before I found an open convenience store and I didn't think twice about entering.

The man at the cashier just glanced at me when I came in before he turned back to the magazine he was holding. I began humming to myself as I browsed the shelves for anything worth eating. "If you care for your stomach, I suggest you go with a sandwich. The packed meals here don't taste too good."

I blinked. "Really?" I squeaked, not expecting the cashier to speak up.

"Yep. They taste like plastic and feel like paper mache," he huffed.

"I see…" I looked around for the sandwiches he was talking about. "What about this ham and cheese?"

"It's better than the rest… I guess you could go with that, miss. It'll cost you two hundred and fifty though." I then turned to the drinks section and began looking there. "The apple juice is the best if you don't want soda." An amused huff escaped my lips. Well he was helpful. I pulled out a can of apple juice, a liter of water and plucked a pack of _good_ instant coffee before heading over to the cashier. "Not from around here?"

"Nope," I chirped, shaking my head as the cashier took care of the stuff. "How much?"

"That'd be eight-fifty." Sighing, I gave him the exact amount. "Pleasure doing business with you." I mumbled a thanks and as soon as I was out the store, I began munching on my sandwich. Well, at least it was worth what I paid for.

I took my time with going back, enjoying the sights and checking out the windows of the shops that were still open. Apparently, some of the shops around here ran for twenty-four hours. I supposed there were enough nocturnal people around here to make a living off of. By the time I wandered back to my hotel, the sun was already rising and I couldn't help but feel a tad bit worried.

It was already September One, the day of the auction.

=oOo=

"What?!" I winced and couldn't help but rub the ear that unfortunately had been the closes to Leorio. Goddamn that man and his loud voice. "You returned the tag to Hisoka at Heavens Arena?!" Hisoka. That was another bastard I would love to beat up right about now. If it hadn't been for him, Ranno wouldn't have recruited me and I wouldn't be in this predicament. "And you have to be pretty good to make it to the 200s level…"

I heaved a sigh. "Must you repeat everything the boy said?" Gon nervously chuckled at my words while Killua simply nodded as he sipped through his straw. "Anyway, good job Gon. Definitely proud of you two," I chirped, flashing the two kids a smile.

"Ne, have you learned _Nen_ yet, Leorio, Mina?" I nodded as a response and the oldest of us proudly declared that he had, but he ended up mistaking _Ten_ for actual _Nen_.

Typical.

Leorio had called this morning about taking a stroll around town and since I had nothing better to do, I had agreed. We ended up in some sort of shopping-slash-market district and it was there we found Killua and Gon, checking out some phones. Leorio being the expert haggler that he apparently was, managed to get the boys phones for half the initial price. I kinda felt sorry for the shopkeeper, but I had to admit, Leorio had skills.

"Ne, Onee-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Where's Kurapika?"

My eyes grew wide and I accidentally swallowed my sandwich whole. I began to choke and thanks to Leorio handing me my drink, I survived. "What?" I coughed while I could feel a slight heat slowly creeping up my face. Goddamn you Killua.

Killua met me with an amused expression. "Kurapika. The two of you left together. Isn't he with you?"

I took a deep breath and eased back into my chair, my drink still in hand as I slurped from the straw. "She came here alone," Leorio answered in my stead. "They had split up a few months ago."

"Split up?" the two twelve year olds echoed. "Why?" Gon innocently asked.

"I had to pay off a debt," I grunted as I gnawed on my straw. "Let's just leave it at that… So aside from Heavens Arena, what are you boys up to?"

The two boys looked between each other before nodding. "We're looking for a game," Killua answered. A game? "It's called Greed Island and it's going to be up for auction."

"I see… But what for?"

"The game might have a clue about my dad, you see…"

My eyebrows shot up. "Your dad?" Leorio echoed, voicing my thoughts.

I blinked. "Ah, that reminds me," I chirped. "I can help you look for your dad."

"If you're going to charge them, Mina, you better stop right there."

I shot Leorio a look. "Of course I'm not gonna charge them!" I hissed before turning back to Gon and Killua. "Like I was saying, I can help you look for your dad. All I need is something personal to him and I'll be able to lead you the way." _Wiretap _worked like that. As long as I had something of significance to my target, I could find him anywhere in the world. Of course, the 'anywhere in the world' part still had to be proven.

"You could really do that?" all three boys exclaimed in unison and I simply nodded my head before taking another bite out of my sandwich. Killua elbowed the boy in green. "Isn't your fishing pole your dad's? Maybe Mina can give it a shot."

I patiently watched as Gon began weighing his options, but I had a feeling he wasn't gonna take my offer. He was kind of a do-it-yourself kinda boy. If he hadn't worked for it himself, then he didn't feel like he deserved it. "Thanks, Mina, but I'll find my dad on my own."

Smiling, I nodded. "I understand, but if you're really planning on winning that game, you've gotta have the money."

The two boys nodded. "So how much are we talking about here?" Leorio asked.

"The starting bid is 8.9 billion," Killua evenly said and I couldn't help but gape. For the love of humanity, I couldn't even pay of half a billion!

"I think my head's starting to hurt…" I murmured as I began massaging my temples.

"How much do you have?"

Gon chuckled nervously. "Well, we've made some bad investments and now we're down to five million." And with that, my head _really_ began to hurt. Doing the math, these boys were nowhere near to getting that game. It was impossible to get that amount of money before the auction, and that was just for the opening bid. The price was no doubt gonna go up.

"But you know, the Hunters' website ranks the game pretty low," Killua hummed.

"Really?" Leorio and I asked and the Zoldyck nodded. Gon went off explaining how someone just needed money to get it and Killua kicked off the argument that technically, the game wasn't much of a treasure if money was its only requirement. That had Gon and Leorio riled up and the two forced Killua and me to finish up with our meal before heading back to Leorio's hotel to do some plotting.

=oOo=

A huff escaped my lips as I slipped my phone back into my pocket. It was already half past eight in the evening. Thirty minutes more and the Underground Auction was going to start. "Is there somewhere you need to be, Onee-chan?" I blinked and turned to my left. Killua was standing with a bored look on his face and a nice diamond ring in his hands. Somehow, Leorio and Gon thought arm wrestling matches were gonna get them somewhere and poof, here we were, calling out challengers and taking their money.

I shook my head. "Just getting antsy," I huffed.

"The auction?"

"The auction," I sighed with a nod.

The boy held my gaze before he heaved a sigh. "Kurapika hasn't contacted us," he quietly began as the crowd around us roared. Gon had just beaten another muscle man. Poor saps. "You must be worried."

A frown settled on my face. This boy had an agenda with this line of discussion. "I admit that I am," I slowly answered, choosing my words carefully. If I slipped, Killua was gonna be on my case like a cheetah chasing a gazelle. "But he won't do anything stupid… I hope."

Killua narrowed his eyes at me. "You've been awfully quiet about him. Something happened, didn't it?" I shook my head. "You're still a horrible liar." Asshole. "So what was it? Did you guys fight?" Again, I shook my head. Technically, we didn't. I had just been very stubborn. "I see… So who screwed up?"

"Most probably me," I grumbled, and then I remembered how he had kissed me that night and that sent me blushing. "And maybe him too… I don't know. Everything was so messed up when I left." My frown deepened and I shook my head. "Leorio, Gon!" Said boys stopped from whatever it was they were doing and turned to me. "I'm heading back. I'll see you guys in the morning."

Leorio nodded and waved goodbye while Gon finished up with the match he was currently in and waved goodbye too. "Bye, Mina! Have a good night!"

I managed a smile at the sweet boy. "You too," I hummed before giving Killua a pat on the head – something he didn't really appreciate – and headed back to my hotel room. I was planning on getting some sleep, but I realized the moment I stepped into my room that that wasn't gonna happen. The very idea that the Phantom Troupe was lurking about had me restless and instead of forcing myself to bed, I picked up my jacket, shrugged it on, hailed a cab and headed for the auction site.

It didn't come as much of a surprise when some guys from the Mafia asked us to stop, so I just got off there and paid the fare. Five hundred meters was still quite a distance and I couldn't possibly get a clear view of what was going on without a pair of binoculars. Crossing my arms, I looked around. The only people the Mafia was letting in were the ones with passes. Of course, stealing a pass was out of the question. I had morals, you know.

But then I realized I could use _Wirepull_ to get inside. Well, not me personally, but at least I had a set of eyes and ears. The only problem now was who… At that moment, Lady Luck decided to give me a break and I saw some guy in a fancy suit get out of his car to pop open the trunk for the Mafia to check. Narrowing my eyes, I readied myself to strike. This was my chance, and I needed to be fast enough so no one would notice me.

Three.

Two.

One.

I kicked myself off and rushed towards the man in a suit. It had only been a second or two, but I had managed to land six hits. As soon as I did, I hid in the nearby shadows and watched. It looked like all those months of training paid off and the poor man just slapped his arm. He must've thought it was some insect or something and then he was back in his car, oblivious to what had just happened.

A frown on my face, I glanced at the six strings that were in my hand. They were growing thinner with every passing second, meaning that the man was getting farther and farther away, but I knew my strings could manage five hundred meters. It'd be hazy, but it would do. Huffing, I climbed the tallest building I could find and patiently waited.

"_Six Degrees of Separation: Wirepull._"

Immediately, I felt the wires tighten, meaning I was in control now and I could do whatever I wanted. I let myself sit on the ledge facing the building, my eyes narrowed at the auction site. "You proceed as you have planned. Everything you see, I will see. Everything you hear, I will hear," I quietly murmured, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I found myself sitting in a car, the building growing closer and closer.

It took some time before the man reached the building and after a few security checks – thank god these people didn't know how to use _Nen_ – I was basically in. The man made his way to what I assumed was the auction hall and as soon as he had gotten himself a seat, the auction began. I couldn't help but frown when a pale guy and an overly large man came into view. I couldn't make out their faces though, thanks to the distance.

"_Welcome, everyone,"_ the pale person boredly said. _"So, I'm skipping the formalities…"_ A gasp escaped my lips as the large dude behind him stretched out his arms and the tips of his fingers fell off, revealing hollow barrels, but I didn't open my eyes, not yet. I needed to see.

"_Die!"_

Several gunshots followed and after that, everything went black. I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at my right hand and I took a shaky breath when I realized the strings had disappeared. The man was dead. Killed by the Troupe, no doubt, along with everyone else that was inside that room. With that amount of gunfire, it was very unlikely for someone to have survived. My frown deepened as I got off of the ledge, shoved my shaking hands into the pockets of my hoodie and headed down. As much as I wanted to go and help those people, I knew I didn't stand a chance against one of those Spiders. I was just watching and the fear still hit me.

So they've made their move, Kurapika… What would be yours?


End file.
